2013-14 NHL Season: "We Are North American Scum"

[DaRadniz29]

I actually think there is, a ten minute powerplay but not sure - or at least there used to be. Or maybe it was two combined 5 minute majors. I just remember some team getting a ten minute powerplay, but don't remember the details. I thought game misconduct plus match penalty (Intent-to-injure) constitutes two 5 min majors. But I don't believe Lapierre intentionally tried to injure Boyle, so.

There is no game misconduct + match penalty. There's five + game or match penalty, which in practice are the same thing, but I've never heard of assessing both. And with Lapierre, as with Torres, you have to err on the side of intent at this point.

Yeah, okay that's were it was cloudy for me. Thinking back to last season with Desjardins' hit on Mayers. Desjardins got five for fighting and five match penalty. True it's pretty similar to five and game. If I remember correctly, the match penalty was rescinded later by the NHL.

Will be interesting to see what Lapierre gets. I know a few seasons back he got suspended four games for a hit on Scott Nichol - then with the Sharks, but don't know if he's gotten suspended since then. I wonder if Lapierre will get more than 10 games.

[The_Admiral]

The NHL should really clear up some of its penalties. Get rid of the five + game/match penalty ambiguity and just call match penalties. Ten-minute misconducts always struck me as kind of redundant, too. If someone is being that much of a belligerent idiot, throw him out altogether.

[rams80]

I'm only playing the heel in the baseball thread, so throw the book at Lapierre and then deport him back to Vancouver where he belongs.

[DaRadniz29]

According to Randy Hahn on twitter (@sharksvoice) via Sharks players, apparently prior to the game Lapierre threatened to "get somebody" - obviously players probably say this more often one might think and usually nothing comes of it. However this seems a tad different.

[CS85]

Haven't had a chance to watch much in the way of Jets games this year. Anyone tell me what's going on with Pavelec? No goal support or is he just sort of sucking?

[The_Admiral]

He's just sort of sucking, like he did last year and the year before. He's had highlight-reel saves, but like my greater point with Jets success, you overrepresent the successes and underrepresent the failures until suddenly you notice oh crap.

And that's all I need to hear re: Lapierre. It's time to eradicate these thoroughly dirty players like Kaleta, Lapierre, Torres, and Ribeiro.

But on a positive note about one of the league's good guys against one of the league's bad teams, Jason Spezza with a natural hat trick!

[STL FANATIC]

Lapierre isn't making us proud in St. Louis. Really don't like having a player that flirts with the line that much on the team.

Having said that, I think his past and reputation, as well as the result of this play, is leading to a little bit of overreaction. If Boyle doesn't stumble, that's a player finishing his hit, and there's no harm, no foul.

But this is a new era of hockey, and players are being asked—demanded really— to be more responsible than that. You see a player in a dangerous spot, and you have to let up.

So I've really got no defense of Lapierre as a player or of the hit, I'd just say I don't think he had a dirty intent on that particular hit. I think he thought it'd be a routine check. But he's got to be smarter than that. (And the fact that he was chirping before the game is just face-palm-worthy.)

He'll get and he deserves a suspension. I suspect he'll get one that's longer than he deserves. And to that, I basically shrug my shoulders.

EDIT: I saw Admiral's comment that you have to err on the side of intent with Lapierre because of his past. That's valid. I just think analyzing this hit, it's pretty unlikely there was intent here. It was more flukey circumstances. But he'll get what he gets, and I don't really care. Blues need to be giving a better actual hockey player that roster spot anyways.

Last thought: Burns hit on Morrow deserve similar scrutiny, but won't get it because Morrow didn't have to leave the game and Burns doesn't have a reputation. That's one of the biggest flaws in the current system of dealing with these hits. (Burns hit wasn't of dirty intent either, but it was stupid and dangerous.)

[The_Admiral]

Might end up being a blessing in disguise as it will force the Blues to dress Paajarvi or Cracknell, who have considerably more upside than Lappy does.

[STL FANATIC]

Agreed.

By the way, here's the Brent Burns hit on Brendan Morrow. As you can see, it's pretty brutal itself. The puck is coming around the boards but not being played, so it's interference at it's best, but it's also an illegal dangerous hit pushing Morrow from the back headfirst into the boards.

The officials only gave it 2-minutes, though, so I doubt as if the league even reviews it.

http://www.frozennotes.com/2013/october/gif-brent-burns-brutal-hit-on-brenden-morrow.html

[Kevin W.]

Holy :censored:, Burns better get some kind of suspension for that. I don't think that's as bad as Lapierre's hit but that's still an awful Shanaban-worthy hit.

[Sport]

I say this all the time, but my enjoyment of Hockey would be affected 0% if there was no fighting and if the Matt Cooke/Patrick Kaleta type d**kheads were eliminated from the game.

[STL FANATIC]

Yep. And I think the impact on the casual fan would be much smaller than people say as well. In fact, it might bring in more casual fans, even if it lost some others.

[The_Admiral]

I'm generally against fighting and would like to see its place in the game drastically minimized, but I'll take up arms for fighting when I see clueless outsiders like Deadspin commenters going on their "wah wah wah when black people fight they're thugs but hockey gets to be barbaric because they're white" pouts, which nobody with half a brain even says or thinks anyway. That's not what it's about at all. Fighting is more a stupid waste of time than it is barbarism. Hell, some barbarism would be a welcome change! I'd rather see transgressors get the crap kicked out of them than two big lunks pawing at each other because to fight anyone but each other would violate "The Code." For all the talk about how we need fighting to police the game, nothing ends up getting policed because when rats like Kaleta do what they do, someone else has to take their lumps for them. Conversely, John Scott is supposed to be the enforcer to end all enforcers, but no one will agree to fight him, and when he finally does manage to fight anyone who isn't a sasquatch, everyone complains that it's not fair.

Furthermore, I will never come to terms with how the most popular TV show is Sunday Night Dudes-Maimin'-Each-Other and no one has a problem with that, but two guys fighting in a hockey game is sacrilege. "It interrupts the flow of the game." Yeah, well, endless Ford commercials interrupt the flow of a football game, and I don't see you dorks trying to ban Denis Leary.

I just like how all I do is complain about all the ways the NHL sucks yet I cannot brook a word of criticism from outside those who love the game. THAT'S HOCKEY, BABYYYY

[monkeypower]

OITGDNHL?

If fighting was kept in it wouldn't effect me and if it was taken out it wouldn't effect me either.

[Lee.]

Furthermore, I will never come to terms with how the most popular TV show is Sunday Night Dudes-Maimin'-Each-Other and no one has a problem with that, but two guys fighting in a hockey game is sacrilege. "It interrupts the flow of the game." Yeah, well, endless Ford commercials interrupt the flow of a football game, and I don't see you dorks trying to ban Denis Leary.

As a Ford employee, I must take umbrage with this comment, and remind you that Ford is offering rebates up to $9250 off the new F150. Hurry into your local Ford dealership now to take advantage of this great deal.

[The_Admiral]

I'm sorry, I can't parse your words unless they're animated.

[monkeypower]

Ducks are playing the Flames in Anaheim tonight and the Flames haven't won in their last 16 games at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim/Honda Center going 0-11-5 in that span. The last time the Flames won in Anaheim was on January 19, 2004 and prior to that, they hadn't won in nine games there.

The Flames all time record in Anaheim is 9-22-13 (6 ties, 4 OTL and 3 SOL)

[Kramerica Industries]

Calgary did win one game in Anaheim during their last playoff encounter in 2006. It's only fair to note this.

[The Giant Pacific Octopus]

As a Ford employee, I must take umbrage with this comment, and remind you that Ford is offering rebates up to $9250 off the new F150. Hurry into your local Ford dealership now to take advantage of this great deal.

If anyone needs their Fords (or any other car) washed let me know. I wash cars on the side. It helps pay for my crab cake addiction.

[Sodboy13]

I've told you man, you gotta get off the cake. It's a road to nowhere.