The Final Word on the Downey hit

barry33 · Guru

The Final Word on the Downey hit

mac_attack · Member

i agree that it was a clean hit too. it just sucks when its one of are players thats on the end of a hit like that. i hope he is ok and i would rather have seen him get hit then one of are top players... and the kovalev hit on tucker last year... tucker desirved that all the way if u go back and look at what tucker did before kovy nailed him u will see that tucker skated by him and tossed his elbow at kovys head just missing him

AB Habman · Guru

No need to convince me, I'm the one that initially stated it was clean from the get-go.

macneil · Guru

agree to all except the 4th barry , there was no vicious elbow to tucker , he tucked his arm into his body to make the check and because tucker is smaller and kovy put the puck through his feet to get him to look down that is why he got him with the elbow . he followed through with the arm but didnt lead with the elbow , had he i dont think tucker gets up to chase him because he would have been ktfo.see for your self , tucker throws an elbow , kovy doesnt .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3CcEOH6W0A

barry33 · Guru

macneil wrote:

agree to all except the 4th barry , there was no vicious elbow to tucker , he tucked his arm into his body to make the check and because tucker is smaller and kovy put the puck through his feet to get him to look down that is why he got him with the elbow . he followed through with the arm but didnt lead with the elbow , had he i dont think tucker gets up to chase him because he would have been ktfo.see for your self , tucker throws an elbow , kovy doesnt .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3CcEOH6W0A

But the intent was there Red..that is my point. Perhaps a bit was missing in the "execution".

sarge · Member

I saw the hit as it happened, but because of the noise in my house I couldn't interpret the french broadcast. I thought it was a very hard, clean hit. Not in any way controversial, just wished it was the other way around.

It sure as hell lit a fire in the Habs, and as much as anything else, the way they rallied to defend their buddy, helped them win the game. After this incident they fought hard in the corners and on the boards, also, the roughed up any Flame they could get their hands on. Especially Komisarek and they treatment he gave Iggy.

AB Habman · Guru

Also want to add that Regehr is not known to be a dirty player. The Stevens comparisons are not fair. Phaneuf may become a Stevens type player. Probably already known as a fierce body checker but has to develop as a steady defensemen as Stevens was and Regehr is.

The Flames have the kind of team that are hard to play against. You have to pay a price to grind it out against them for the two points.

macneil · Guru

But the intent was there Red..that is my point. Perhaps a bit was missing in the "execution".

do you mean that kovy tried to elbow tucker, like i said eye for an eye . if i was to slash you wouldnt it be fair to you to slash me back .

barry33 · Guru

macneil wrote:

But the intent was there Red..that is my point. Perhaps a bit was missing in the "execution".

do you mean that kovy tried to elbow tucker, like i said eye for an eye . if i was to slash you wouldnt it be fair to you to slash me back .

No. I am just saying that just because Tucker tried to elbow Kovalev earlier does not make it ok for him to chase Kovalev all over the ice and hit him. As a coach I preach discipline. If you get hit, you suck it up and try to get back on the scorecard. But that is digressing. My point is this. As fans we need to be a bit more realistic in our views. I hated seeing Downey wobble to his feet and get carried off. But if he had been the one doing the giving, then everyone here would be talking about what a great hit it was. Instead, we are calling Robyn Regier (who has never been suspended for anything that I know of and is not known as a cheap shot artist) a "dirty player" and a "cheap shot artist". That is just not right in my opinion. If we are going to do that, then we need to similarily condemn habs players when they do something similar, not rejoice.

plouf · Guru

I think the bottom line was it was a bit of a borderline play.

As Ando pointed out, the Flames were headhunting in an attempt to intimidate the Habs. That hit was close to the edge of what's acceptable, but I wouldn't personally blame Regehr, since I'm certain it was a team strategy as much as anything else, not a vindictive attempt to injure.

The good news? We responded the right way, by asserting ourselves. Good on Komi, Rivet and Souray for leading the charge. And on the rest of the Habs for outworking the Flames for pretty much the rest of the game.

As for the officiating, Barry you're right to point out that it kind of evened out in the end. At first it seemed like everything went against the Habs, and there were 2-3 missed calls in a row that went the other way. Then it switched over (almost like there were make-up calls.....would you believe it?) The problem is that just like last year the calls seem so freaking arbitrary these days. Why is one thing a penalty and another not? I like the new fast-paced hockey, but I do get frustrated with the how hard it is to consistently enforce the new rules, and it seems for the refs to keep up with the play.

Traveling Hab · Veteran Member

Guys, hitting hard is not head hunting. Downey had his head down, and unfortunately that makes him a target. Hitting hard is a great tactic since it makes the other team nervous about touching the puck if they haven't double checked who is behind them, it makes them less likely to go hard into the corners, it tires them out, and it creates turnovers.

Hard hitting is still part of the game, and legal hits should not be punished. Let's get this clear: the hit was legal.

We like Komi because he hit's hard. Murray and Begin probably wouldn't be in the league if they didn't hit hard. Latendresse would do well to hit more. Downey is very useful laergely because he hits hard.

Let's see the hits keep coming, and hopefully more hits on the other team.

For our boys, keep your heads up, and keep an eye on the play.

macneil · Guru

barry33 wrote:

macneil wrote:

But the intent was there Red..that is my point. Perhaps a bit was missing in the "execution".

do you mean that kovy tried to elbow tucker, like i said eye for an eye . if i was to slash you wouldnt it be fair to you to slash me back .

No. I am just saying that just because Tucker tried to elbow Kovalev earlier does not make it ok for him to chase Kovalev all over the ice and hit him. As a coach I preach discipline. If you get hit, you suck it up and try to get back on the scorecard. But that is digressing. My point is this. As fans we need to be a bit more realistic in our views. I hated seeing Downey wobble to his feet and get carried off. But if he had been the one doing the giving, then everyone here would be talking about what a great hit it was. Instead, we are calling Robyn Regier (who has never been suspended for anything that I know of and is not known as a cheap shot artist) a "dirty player" and a "cheap shot artist". That is just not right in my opinion. If we are going to do that, then we need to similarily condemn habs players when they do something similar, not rejoice.

barry i agree to a certain extent , i believe if the refs had called a penalty on tucker for the elbow (or the slash to the defenceman afterwards)then you let it go , but if the refs are not going to protect the players then they have to protect themselves.

barry33 · Guru

Trust me Red..no one..and I mean NO one would like watching Tucker have his lid knocked off more than moi

barry33 · Guru

For what it is worth. Downey was interviewed by PJ Stock on the Team 990 today. He felt that had he been Saku Koivu instead of a 4th line basher there would have been a penalty called. I am not sure I agree with that. But, to his credit, DOwney said "Had it been me and the opportunity presented itself, I would have probably thrown the hit too".