One month ago, the world junior hockey tournament started in Canada and like most, it had some very exiting moments. Canada came in as tournament favorites, having one five gold’s in a row, and 11 straight medals. The squad featured top draft prospect Taylor Hall along with a whole host of top prospects for their respective NHL teams. Then only criticism of the Canadian team could be that they had a host of eligible players that could not make the tournament due to their commitment to their NHL teams. This group included the past two number one overall picks Steven Stamkos and John Tavares, as well as Matt Duchene of the Avalanche, and five others. No other team faced this problem heading in. Sweden came in looking as the top threat to the Canadian squad, and the American team was also highly praised after they decided to have a camp and cuts instead of just choosing a team for the first time in their history, and in the end it paid off. Continue reading »
We are coming down the home stretch of the High School season and I just wanted to clarify a rule that seems to get a lot of grumbling from the stands. Although I took the rule out of the Federation book, this basically applies to every rule book in hockey. So lets get to it.
Rule 6-40 article 3 states that a penalty shall be assessed to a player who intentionally or recklessly contacts a player to the head, including with the stick or by an illegal body check. Penalty-minor or major if flagrant. Continue reading »
We are not even half way through this young season and I have already tossed two coaches and a parent out of different youth hockey games. I know that coaches and refs don’t always see eye to eye and this time I am siding with the coaches on how the behavior of parents effects everyone in the building. Naturally I have a few things to say on coaching but we will focus on some of the parents today.
I know this will come to a surprise to you but there issues I have with parents and how they conduct themselves during a game. First off; you are not at a NHL game with a beer in each hand(questionable), so why do you act like the drunk in the balcony screaming at the refs about the dumbest things possible? If you really want to be a referee then go to a seminar, pass the test, do a few hundred 6am mite games and then we will talk. Continue reading »
Fast Tube by Casper
We see it time and time again on the ice, poor sportsmanship after giving up a goal. This time it proved to be costly for Florida Panther’s goaltender Thomas Vokoun. Panthers defenseman Keith Ballard pulled the dumbest stunt yet this season while attempting break his stick over the crossbar after Atlanta’s goal midway into the first period, struck his own goaltender in the head.
Vokoun suffered an ear laceration and was alert when taken off the ice on a stretcher. Although there is not a rule of high sticking your own player in the NHL, the Florida Panthers management needs to address this with either a fine or a suspension with out pay to Keith Ballard. This type of behavior should not be tolerated at any level of hockey period. Ballard is lucky that all Vokoun suffered was an ear laceration, this could of been a hell of a lot worse. GROW UP.
Florida GM Randy Sexton said. ”There was no internal ear damage, just a laceration. They stitched him up, took a CAT scan and there’s no additional injuries.” Continue reading »
USA Hockey Recommends
USA Hockey, with guidance from its Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Stuart, has issued the following information regarding the H1N1 infection, including some basic recommendations to reduce the likelihood of spreading the infection.
1. Provide individual water bottles. Do not share water bottles.
2. Regularly wash hands.
3. Clean workout gear for each practice/competition.
4. Keep gloves on during the traditional handshake with opponents. Continue reading »
Tuesday night in Montreal, Slava Kozlov of the Atlanta Thrashers cross checked Montreal’s Scott Gomez into the end boards during the overtime frame. Although it doesn’t appear that this was an intent to injure type play, Kozlov is still took advantage of an unprotected Gomez as he was turning towards the puck. Kozlov was handed a 5 minute major and a game misconduct which was the proper call.
The NHL rule book states as follows.
Rule 44 – Checking from Behind
44.1 Checking from Behind – A check from behind is a check delivered on a player who is not aware of the impending hit, therefore unable to protect or defend himself, and contact is made on the back part of the body. When a player intentionally turns his body to create contact with his back, no penalty shall be assessed.
So would the assessed penalties on the ice be enough punishment to Kozlov or is a fine and/or suspension in order? Watch the game clip and decide for yourself. I have looked at it several times and feel that Kozlov was well aware of what he was doing . The fact of Gomez not being hurt should not come into play when Colin Cambell looks at this clip. Kozlov should be held accountable for his actions.
It’s like a broken record over and over again but we have to keep bringing this issue up and why you ask, because hockey players are still acting reckless and have no respect for the game or opponents they are playing against.
I see it every day in youth hockey and although the players are ultimately the ones making the hit. The coaches are to blame to some degree and I don’t know one coach that would approve of a hit from behind on any player but years ago when you watched a youth hockey game, coaches were yelling “defense, pass, skate and shoot” all the time to their players. Now I am on the ice and all I hear is “BODY” and “HIT EM”.
These young kids feel pressured to impress their teammates and not let down their coach and unfortunately the only way some of them can achieve this task is by taking advantage of a player in a vulnerable situation because they are simply not fast enough to do it right. This is not the first or nearly the last time we will talk about this subject and for all the youth players out there….hockey is a very fast sport but take a second to think before you severely injure a player, that player could be you just as easy. There is nothing worse than seeing a kid being carried off in a stretcher.
Click on the links to read the definition of the rule in your book. USA Hockey rule 607, NFHS (Federation/High School) rule 6-7.
