Scheifele's Hit and what's wrong with the NHL's rulebook

[Pheebs888]

ICYMI: My latest @hockeybuzz blog about Scheifele's hearing and what's trully wrong with the NHL rulebook: https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=111835 Mon plus récent blogue sur l'audition de Scheifele et ce qui ne va vraiment pas avec le livre des règlements. #GoHabsGo #CH #Habs #Canadiens

Comments always welcome.
Thanks
Karine

[icefields]

i think the fact that the rules change come playoff time is a leading factor in injuries during playoff series.
player tend to get away with far more than in a regular season game.
hence boundries are crossed and safety is not considered.
scheifele can be seen gliding most of the time after crossing the blueline, he didnt leave his feet, but his intention to level an intense hit is obvious, evident in his follow through
if the nhl simply endorsed the same rules in any game - playoff , exhibition or regular season game i believe that these serious injuries would lessen considerably.
if this doesnt happen then code or no code scheifele should pay a price both on and off the ice.
and violence begets violence. its an unending cycle.
it needs to stop because the players are getting bigger every year and the equipment hasnt been able to keep up with protecting the players, especially head injuries, that sometimes are felt years down the road.
this is not supposed to be gladiators
it is supposed to be sport.
and seeing that kid Evans rocked and hurt was entertainment - it was sickening

[subban7677]

It's also a lack of respect. To often players just don't give a you-know-what about each other. Luckily there are still guys like Ehlers. Classy move on his part.

[chakhae1]

The NHL takes a precedent with hits to the head which is good, but nothing else matters and that's where the issue lies. Tom Wilson for ones takes advantage of this better than anyone in NHL history and that is why he has avoided suspension in his career. I think the NHL needs to look more at things like intent and history of the individual because even though the head/brain is a very sensitive area, to ignore the rest of the body is just dumb.

[chakhae1]

I agree wholeheartedly with how the rules change in the playoffs as well. At the end of the day it's the well being of people that we are talking about here and for the rules to change just b/c of the time of the season makes absolutely no sense to me.

[30ranfordfan]

4 games is a stiffer penalty than I thought he'd get. I was expecting 1 games, or maybe even a $5k fine.

Figured that during tonight's broadcast..... Sportsnet would wheel out a coffin during the 1st intermission, open it slowly. We'd see a thumb sticking up, and queue the coach's corner theme. Don would be back to explain to all of us why Schiefle was just playing playoff hockey, and it was all Evans fault for not expecting someone to run him over after the play was done.


I actually think 4 games is pretty fair for this... considering that Schiefle has no history, and they value a Round 2 playoff game like 3 regular season games (though I have a hard time believing he would have got 12 games for that, if it happened in February. I think those ratios are shrinking).

I agree with other posts here: The changing of the rules come playoff time is one huge aspect of their problem. The other big issue that keeps coming up, is that they only discipline for consequence, and not action. Schiefle didn't get suspended because he threw a late hit, while charging, and targeted Evans' head. He got suspended because he did all of those things, AND Evans left on a stretcher. If Evans skates away from the hit, Schiefle gets nothing more than a minor penalty (and since it's the playoffs, probably not even that).

If you don't want players throwing dirty hits, then suspend players for dirty hits. Every single time.

Everytime "intent to injure" comes up as a thing, it drives me insane. I do not believe for one second that Schiefle was intending to knock Jake Evans out, and jeopardize his career. There was no "intent" to injure. He was pissed off, and had every intention of running Jake Evans, and hurting him - but knocking a guy over and knocking a guy out are two different things. A guy like Schiefle probably lays a handful of hits with that kind of force a season..... they've never resulted in an injury, and certainly never a suspension - so that's what you learn to do when you're pissed off. Take it out on a player from the other team, and hit someone really hard.

[chakhae1]

What I heard on sportsnet yesterday was that how easily Shceiff could have have prevented the goal if he just put his stick in the way. That is where the argument comes that he intended to hurt Evans, but I do not believe that for a second. Hockey is a fast paced sport and u have that split second to make a decision and he made the wrong one.

[cygnusx1]

What I heard on sportsnet yesterday was that how easily Shceiff could have have prevented the goal if he just put his stick in the way. That is where the argument comes that he intended to hurt Evans, but I do not believe that for a second. Hockey is a fast paced sport and u have that split second to make a decision and he made the wrong one.

I can agree that he may not have intended to hurt Evans, but he did fully intend to run him over like a freight train, which he should have known was dangerous. We all get caught up in the game from time to time, but you have to be smarter than that. Just an all around reckless and irresponsible play by Scheifele.

[chakhae1]

I can agree that he may not have intended to hurt Evans, but he did fully intend to run him over like a freight train, which he should have known was dangerous. We all get caught up in the game from time to time, but you have to be smarter than that. Just an all around reckless and irresponsible play by Scheifele.

That's where the respect of your fellow players comes into question and common sense. Scheifele was also having a bad game and might have been thinking to unleash some of his frustration at that point in time. Barbaric to say the least if that was the case, but no one really knows what he was thinking. He did feel bad that his family was being attacked on social media, but that's what happens when you play the part.

[cygnusx1]

That's where the respect of your fellow players comes into question and common sense. Scheifele was also having a bad game and might have been thinking to unleash some of his frustration at that point in time. Barbaric to say the least if that was the case, but no one really knows what he was thinking. He did feel bad that his family was being attacked on social media, but that's what happens when you play the part.

I used to play football. I'm ashamed to admit it, but one game my emotions got the best of me and I absolutely levelled a receiver. It was a clean (legal) hit, but I hit someone who didn't deserve it in the least. I was maybe 15-16 at the time, and I still think of that hit every once in a while. I'm glad that the other guy wasn't hurt, but it certainly could have been much worse. I have no doubt in my mind that Scheifele feels bad about the hit. Sports adrenaline is a crazy thing.