Huge hit by Spacek

[Two or less]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1ifchlu1Gg&feature=player_embedded

 

Poor Booth, the guy can't catch a break. First Mike Richards knocked him out and now Spacek. Nice hit by Jaro though and legal. Hope Booth is ok though, i heard he went straight to the hospital.

[Taro T]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1ifchlu1Gg&feature=player_embedded

 

Poor Booth, the guy can't catch a break. First Mike Richards knocked him out and now Spacek. Nice hit by Jaro though and legal. Hope Booth is ok though, i heard he went straight to the hospital.

Interesting. I really don't think I expected Spach to be the first player suspended for the intentional hit to the head. My guess is he gets 2 games. It looked to me like he got shoulder onto jaw. Thing is, the hit was squarely w/in Booth's field of view, but since it seemed that the initial contact was with Booth's head, my guess is that Jaro becomes the 1st suspendee. He might avoid the suspension because it was square in front of him. As initially stated, interesting.

[billsrcursed]

Interesting. I really don't think I expected Spach to be the first player suspended for the intentional hit to the head. My guess is he gets 2 games. It looked to me like he got shoulder onto jaw. Thing is, the hit was squarely w/in Booth's field of view, but since it seemed that the initial contact was with Booth's head, my guess is that Jaro becomes the 1st suspendee. He might avoid the suspension because it was square in front of him. As initially stated, interesting.

Boy, I liked the verbiage of the new rule, but if this hit is suspendable, the NHL is in trouble. I saw nothing wrong with this hit at all. Didn't look like Spacek went to the box, either. Like you said, interesting.

[Two or less]

Boy, I liked the verbiage of the new rule, but if this hit is suspendable, the NHL is in trouble. I saw nothing wrong with this hit at all. Didn't look like Spacek went to the box, either. Like you said, interesting.

 

Same here, i don't think Spacek did anything wrong. It was a north/south play, not a blindspot. What was Spacek supposed to do? I don't think he gets any games and as you said, if he gets any games, NHL is in big trouble....

[Kristian]

Boy, I liked the verbiage of the new rule, but if this hit is suspendable, the NHL is in trouble. I saw nothing wrong with this hit at all. Didn't look like Spacek went to the box, either. Like you said, interesting.

 

No doubt there's contact to the head, but really - Isn't this just what happens in hockey?

 

I mean, I feel sorry for Booth and I certainly don't hope this is anothert concussion for him, but this his is nothing like the Richards or Cooke hits, which are pure headhunting plays.

 

This looks more like Spacek standing Booth up, and Booth running into him more than Spacek drilling him.

 

Man, for once I feel sorry for the league officials who have to review this.

[jwcolour]

Boy, I liked the verbiage of the new rule, but if this hit is suspendable, the NHL is in trouble. I saw nothing wrong with this hit at all. Didn't look like Spacek went to the box, either. Like you said, interesting.

 

 

Same here, i don't think Spacek did anything wrong. It was a north/south play, not a blindspot. What was Spacek supposed to do? I don't think he gets any games and as you said, if he gets any games, NHL is in big trouble....

 

 

No doubt there's contact to the head, but really - Isn't this just what happens in hockey?

 

I mean, I feel sorry for Booth and I certainly don't hope this is anothert concussion for him, but this his is nothing like the Richards or Cooke hits, which are pure headhunting plays.

 

This looks more like Spacek standing Booth up, and Booth running into him more than Spacek drilling him.

 

Man, for once I feel sorry for the league officials who have to review this.

 

This isn't suspendable since it isn't a lateral/blindside hit. Also he wasn't "targeting" his head.

 

Poor Booth, he had just started to get his wheels going after getting back and now this happens. One of my favorite non-sabres.

 

Definitely a year Booth would like to forget. Shouldn't be a problem though I don't think he'll be able to remember much of it.

[mrjsbu96]

maybe booth will learn to keep his head up?

[henysgol]

He got the wind knocked out of him. His breastplate will be bruised for awhile. Legal hit. Jaro wasn't trying to hurt him. Booth skated pretty hard right into it so he asked for it.

[Taro T]

This isn't suspendable since it isn't a lateral/blindside hit. Also he wasn't "targeting" his head.

 

Poor Booth, he had just started to get his wheels going after getting back and now this happens. One of my favorite non-sabres.

 

Definitely a year Booth would like to forget. Shouldn't be a problem though I don't think he'll be able to remember much of it.

I hope you're right. Upon further review, I'd expect you are.

[That Aud Smell]

This isn't suspendable since it isn't a lateral/blindside hit. Also he wasn't "targeting" his head.

agreed. no way spacho's hit should result in discipline -- IMO, this hit belongs in the umberger(campbell)/connolly(schaefer) category --hits that were within the hit-ee's natural field of vision and therefore warrant the "keep your head up" admonition.

 

OTOH, the booth(richards)/drury(neil) hits were (to varying degrees) examples of "a lateral, back-pressure or blind-side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact." http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=522691

[Stoner]

I'll repeat my comment from the Cooke thread last night.

 

Tonight's hit by Spacek on Booth (poor SOB) will be cited as the kind of hit that the league wants to keep in the game. But I still see it as dirty. Spacek took advantage of a vulnerable opponent, and it's no accident his shoulder ended up clocking Booth's head. Spacek doesn't quite jump into Booth, but it's close enough -- at least the left skate is off the ice on impact.

[elcrusho]

An excellent bodycheck standing him up at the blue line....

[carpandean]

For anybody who likes their video without the "blouh, blouh, Spacek, blouh" commentary:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCTScE48ugE

 

I doubt that you'll ever see that type of hit become illegal. Every hockey player in the world will say "you have to keep your head up coming into the zone with the puck like that." Right or wrong, they'll put the blame on Booth, not Spacek.

[Stoner]

Head down is the biggest load of crap. Booth's head is "up," he looks down for a split second to take the pass, then brings his head back up -- and that's where it is when Spacek clocks him.

 

I can understand the argument if a player actually puts his head down too late for the hitter to do anything about it. Yeah, you can't blame the hitter there. This hit is what it is -- predatory and targeted. And legal as h ell.

 

Carp is right, the victim will be blamed. They will never take this hit out of the game. Even if someone dies. There will be a lot of people who won't understand how they can draw the line on head shots here.

[bunomatic]

This hit by Spacek is clean according to the book and a nice hit by any standard pre...oh this season.The bigger issue here is this players past history of concussions due to the dirty and predatory hit by Carter earlier this season.Any other player would have gotten up and we would all be saying that was a great clean hit.Carter might as well have hit him because this outcome is a direct result of his hit and its after effects.Hope he's o.k. but I suspect it'll be a smaller 'bump' that puts him out next time.

[shrader]

I'll repeat my comment from the Cooke thread last night.

 

Tonight's hit by Spacek on Booth (poor SOB) will be cited as the kind of hit that the league wants to keep in the game. But I still see it as dirty. Spacek took advantage of a vulnerable opponent, and it's no accident his shoulder ended up clocking Booth's head. Spacek doesn't quite jump into Booth, but it's close enough -- at least the left skate is off the ice on impact.

 

The problem is that he needs to make the hit there, but the head is the only thing he is going to make contact with. He'd have to dive into Booth's legs to not hit him in the head. There's also no way that he jumped. He left the ice post-contact, as a result of the hit, and even then, he's barely off the ice. It sucks, but there is no way to ever prevent this kind of thing from happening short of making it a non-contact league.

[That Aud Smell]

i respect PA's concern for the health of the players. that said:

 

The problem is that he needs to make the hit there

he sure does.

 

still on the other hand, when shrader says that

 

there is no way to ever prevent this kind of thing from happening short of making it a non-contact league.

i find myself agreeing at first, but then recalling dimly that some major juniors league (OHL?) has an outright prohibition on contact with an opposing player's head. last i saw, that league still has strong physical play. what's to stop the nhl from going that route?

[shrader]

i find myself agreeing at first, but then recalling dimly that some major juniors league (OHL?) has an outright prohibition on contact with an opposing player's head. last i saw, that league still has strong physical play. what's to stop the nhl from going that route?

 

That hit still happens with the rule in place, the only difference is that the call is made. The only way anyone pulls up on that hit is if they aren't allowed to hit at all. That's when they go all poke check or positional in that situation.

[rbochan]

Umberger'd!

[Stoner]

Umberger'd!

 

I wonder about people who get off on head injuries. I really do.

[Stoner]

The problem is that he needs to make the hit there, but the head is the only thing he is going to make contact with. He'd have to dive into Booth's legs to not hit him in the head. There's also no way that he jumped. He left the ice post-contact, as a result of the hit, and even then, he's barely off the ice. It sucks, but there is no way to ever prevent this kind of thing from happening short of making it a non-contact league.

 

I think these guys are really good at launching their bodies so that the skates don't leave the ice until contact. I don't think it's an issue of contact forcing the skates off the ice. But I'm not a physics major.

 

Bottom line for me is that Spacek, albeit subtly, made sure his shoulder came up to make contact with the head. The shoulder is driving up and through. A head shot was avoidable. The alternative isn't stopping short like Frank Costanza, or poke-checking, it's putting the shoulder right into the breastbone and (insert Roby catchphrase here).

[wonderbread]

I wonder about people who get off on head injuries. I really do.

I wonder too!

[elcrusho]

I think these guys are really good at launching their bodies so that the skates don't leave the ice until contact. I don't think it's an issue of contact forcing the skates off the ice. But I'm not a physics major.

 

Bottom line for me is that Spacek, albeit subtly, made sure his shoulder came up to make contact with the head. The shoulder is driving up and through. A head shot was avoidable. The alternative isn't stopping short like Frank Costanza, or poke-checking, it's putting the shoulder right into the breastbone and (insert Roby catchphrase here).

 

Seriously where are you seeing a head shot....

 

His shoulder comes up with his momentum...the initial hit was on his upper chest...and gradually with momentum your going to be moving up...

 

Didn't you learn anything about standing a forward up at the blue line while playing defense in Bantam level hockey....?

 

There was no head shot, no intent to injure. Spacek was making a sound defensive play, it's called a body check, and it was a damn good one.

[mrjsbu96]

I think these guys are really good at launching their bodies so that the skates don't leave the ice until contact. I don't think it's an issue of contact forcing the skates off the ice. But I'm not a physics major.

 

Bottom line for me is that Spacek, albeit subtly, made sure his shoulder came up to make contact with the head. The shoulder is driving up and through. A head shot was avoidable. The alternative isn't stopping short like Frank Costanza, or poke-checking, it's putting the shoulder right into the breastbone and (insert Roby catchphrase here).

 

Do me a favor this afternoon and go out in your backyard and a take a running start at a garbage can or something else as tall as you - an object that will fall down once you hit it, and let me know if your feet, even one of them, come up slightly from the ground.

 

Secondly, as for the headshot you are declaring, if you want to take this hit out of the game then either I suggest stop watching hockey or petition to take body checking out. A forward coming in on goal will naturally be more in a "crouch" with his knees bent, and a D-man will be more straight up; thus, there is absolutely no way to avoid any sort of head contact. Head contact is deliberate intention to use part of your body, usually the elbow or hands, to strike the head. There is no way on the planet Spacek is trying to "place" his shoulder in to Booth's head; physics and Booth's head down made any sort of contact to the head happen, and even that is mimimal.

[LabattBlue]

This hit by Spacek is clean according to the book and a nice hit by any standard pre...oh this season.The bigger issue here is this players past history of concussions due to the dirty and predatory hit by Carter earlier this season.Any other player would have gotten up and we would all be saying that was a great clean hit.Carter might as well have hit him because this outcome is a direct result of his hit and its after effects.Hope he's o.k. but I suspect it'll be a smaller 'bump' that puts him out next time.

Richards, not Carter.