The Hit: What They’re Saying Around The League; Conboy In Trouble?
I thought I’d compile some quotes from around the world of hockey to give everyone an idea of what’s being said about Doug Weight’s hit on Brandon Sutter:
• NHL executive vic e president Bill Daly: ”The league takes very seriously its role in helping to protect players from dangerous or unnecessary blows to the head.
“To this point, while we have considered and often discussed a ban on all contact that results in a blow to the head, both the General Managers as a group, and the NHL/NHLPA Competition Committee . . . have declined to take that step. I’m sure the topic is one that will continue to warrant attention and debate within the game, and it is certainly possible that a further change to our rules, or our rules interpretation, may be considered again in the future.”
• Montreal head coach Guy Carbonneau: ”I hear people say (Sutter’s) head was down; he didn’t have the puck. I don’t know if you guys play hockey, but it’s very hard to play hockey without putting your head down at one point, because usually the puck is on the ice.
“And it’s not just the league. The player has to realize where we are. Maybe it’s all about coaching and parents and the media; we’re all at fault. Look at TV and the first thing you see is the hit of the day. We say to kids at 5 years old: ‘Finish your hits.’ When the puck is in the neutral zone and the player is behind the net, it’s not time to finish your hits.
“I don’t think we want to be a soft league, but we need to look where we’re going.
“We’ve had three of these big hits in the last 10 days and all I’ve heard is that the three guys who did the hit, well, he’s not that kind of guy. He’s a good guy. What are we waiting for? If a guy is a bad guy, are we going to suspend him and if a guy doesn’t do that sort of thing, you don’t suspend him. If I’m battling one-on-one and a guy hits me, that’s part of the game. But if I don’t have the puck and the guy comes across the ice and hits me, that’s not part of the game.”
• Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien: ”I think you have to look at the situations differently. In [Patrice Bergeron's] case, he was standing up and was straight when he got hit. Those are two different hits.
“I went back and looked at the replay, and without taking sides here, I thought Sutter was reaching for the puck and was in a vulnerable position.
“He was basically at hip height, so it’s like he went after his head. Weight’s job was to try to go in with a hit. I think it was an unfortunate hit. I don’t think it was a dirty hit.
“You have to protect heads, but I don’t know at what point. If you’re going to punish guys every time a guy puts himself in a vulnerable position and the other guy tries to put in a clean hit, then you might as well eliminate body checking.”
“People may say I’m old-school. The game today is better in a lot of areas. But in some areas, it’s not and it’s troublesome. There is a lack of respect for opponents’ players. It’s the way the game is played today, and there are significant injuries. It is what it is.”
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In other news, Tim Conboy could be in trouble. I found this item in the Philadelphia Daily News:
The AHL should be looking into a suspension for Albany River Rats captain Tim Conboy, who was assessed a fighting major, instigation and unsportsmanlike minors, a game misconduct for instigating and a game misconduct for “persisting in a fight,” following a high-sticking incident and fight with Steve Downie during the Phantoms’ 3-0 win Saturday afternoon.”I’ve never heard of [persisting] in a fight before,” said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. “The report I got was that [Conboy] bit Downie on the hand. He had blood and teeth marks on his hand.”
Here’s video of the scrap.
About the Author: I'm a sports fan with a background in sports writing, editing and design. I grew up in Western Massachusetts and graduated from a college in Central New York with my degree in journalism. I moved to the Triangle in early 2000 and have been a season ticket holder since 2005. You can reach me at 
Cory | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
After watching the video, some would say this is exactly what Carolina needs: a guy who’s a little off-kilter and comes to the aid of his teammates (I guess Downie purposely hit Nick Dodge in the face with his stick blade) with no regard for anything.
Discuss.
puckheadjones | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Man, we need that up here to take care of cheap hits. Yeah, I know that Dougie was a team mate and all liked him, but come one he should have faced some kind of retobution (sp). The more I watch the replay, the more I see Dougie not even look at the puck. Sutter was a deer in the grill for Dougie.
So lets see what happens tonight in Montreal. Do we come out more physical or the same ho hum that we have been.
Bubba | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Luke DeCock adds his 2 cents as well-
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/decock/story/1271459.html
He offers the same comparison with the high sticking penalties that we mentioned here yesterday. Nice to be on the same page as Luke.
Tim Conboy is a bit beyond off kilter. *L*
The problem is, if the league doesn’t protect the players, then your teammates have to do it.
marc | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Bubba, that is exactly my sentiment. The league is not protecting the players, players have to stand up for each other. I don’t want to slide back the ’70’s style of constant brawling, but I do remember how much those guys stood up for each other. There is an awesome book called The Code, with parts written by Tony Twist and Marty McSorley that I recommend everyone to read. It intelligently & logically lays out the argument that the instigator rule needs to be repealed, because the league can’t / won’t protect it’s players. It is a good read for those on BOTH sides of the fighting issue.
http://www.amazon.com/Code-Unwritten-Rules-Fighting-Retaliation/dp/1572437561/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225203254&sr=1-3
Ivan | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
I agree with you 100% Bubba. The only thing is that whenever I see somebody come to the aid of a teammate, that player is penalized for some stupid penalty. Not just a 5 min kind. I’ve seen the other team get a PP out of it. It is disturbing that the refs won’t even allow players to stick up for each other without assessing a penalty that leads to a PP.
I don’t know if you agree with that or not, but that is the way I see it.
repenttokyo | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
I don;t know if basing any kind of rule changes on the logic of a guy like mcsorley who almost killed a guy on the ice with his stick is a good idea.
Sunny | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
My love of Conboy prevents me from making any objective assessment of that incident. But I can’t be the only one who finds it hard to muster up much sympathy for Steve Downie.
wylde4canes | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
No but I think biting is over the line. Conboy deserves a suspension.
marc | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
repent - They talk about that in the book, I believe, but they focus more on the enforcer role than one particular ugly incident. Besides, McSorley just makes comments & there are others in there including Rob Ray & Dave Schultz. There are ugly incidents in all sports - the worst of any sport, I believe, is throwing a 100mph fastball at someone’s head. Anyways, like I said, it’s a good read for anyone who is interested in hockey & trying to understand reasons why there even is fighting. You don’t necessarily have to agree with it - it’s an interesting read for an interesting debate, no matter what side of the fence you sit on.
Bubba | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Yep, there is a fine line between protecting your teammates and going over the top. I sure don’t have the answers, just hate to see the injuries.
philbert | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Awesome now thats what the canes need! he bit him wow! Tim Tyson Conboy…
Cory | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
I read The Code … there were some funny moments in it — like one of Dave Hanson talking about fighting Bobby Hull and yanking off his helmet and hairpiece — but for the most part I found it to be just a bunch of transcribed conversations.
Just my two cents.
marc | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Cory, It’s not a major work of literature or anything, but I think it helps explain things from the player’s perspective. Not many fans get that inside view of hockey, which is why I think it helps explain an aspect of the sport that can be confusing to anyone less than a die hard fan / hockey blogger.
Conboy DEFINITELY strikes me as someone who will stick his neck out for teammates, but biting….. don’t know about THAT.
greg | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
I wouldn’t put it past Downie to shove his hand in Tim’s mouth to try and draw blood.
$.02
Cory | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Marc — I agree, it was an OK read. I just had high expectations and came away a little disappointed.
brooke | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Conboy bit him! Well, I’m sure he had his reasons…yes, he deserves a suspension, but at the same time, I bet the other guy deserved the bite too! We need to bring Conboy back. I was ashamed to watch Sutter take that hit and no one (except little, lonesome Bayda) respond. It was disgraceful. Yes, it was unintentional, but that doesn’t negate the fact that it happened. If Sutter learned nothing else from this, I’m sure he got the message loud and clear that his teammates won’t stick up for him. What kind of team dynamic can we expect to see as the season progresses…?
SamsonovFan | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
When does Conboy arrive?
Andrea | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
I’m with the high-sticking comparison too. Players should be just as responsible for their shoulders as they are for their sticks, and if you can’t keep your shoulder off of someone’s head, you shouldn’t be on the ice. Don’t get me wrong, I like good clean hits, I just don’t like seeing people get hurt, and head injuries are particularly troublesome.
Minor flesh wounds are fine… except when they are caused by teeth!?! But I have to admit the thought makes me giggle just a little bit. It seems like such a ridiculous thing to do.
Sunny | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Here is what Phil Janack of the Daily Gazette in Schenectady wrote RE: the Conboy “incident” (apologies for any “scooping”, Cory! :-)):
“No AHL disciplinary action is expected against captian Tim Conboy, who was ejected from Saturday’s 3-0 matinee loss to Philadelphia following an altercation with the Phantoms’ Steve Downie. Conboy got 29 penalty minutes: two minors, a major, a misconduct and game misconduct, the latter for persisting in his fight with Downie despite the intervention of linesman Frank Murphy.
“I would have thought we’d have heard something by now, so he should be all right,” Daniels said. “He got a little carried away, but Timmy’s an emotional leader, and he’s looking after a teammate.”
Conboy, whose 43 PIM in four games ranks seventh overall, took exception to Downie’s high stick on Rats rookie center Nick Dodge.
“I kind of went bananas,” Conboy said. “Maybe I should have calmed down a little bit, but when you see a guy swinging his stick around like that, there’s no place in the game for that. I have no problem with playing aggressive and playing tough and fighting, stuff like that, but there’s no need to swing your stick at someone.”"
http://www.dailygazette.com/weblogs/janack/2008/oct/28/rat-ready-season-debut/
marc | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Andrea-
What happens when someone like Zdeno Chara tries to hit a Fleury sized player? Chara would not be allowed to hit a player that size. Stick blades are always supposed to be on the ice no matter what, but Z’s shoulder probably lines up with a 5′10″ players head. I see your point, but a rule like that would probably penalize someone as big as Chara just for being freakishly tall. I’m curious - how does this work out in the OHL?
Would like to see Conboy up with the ‘Canes, as long as he isn’t biting people. I like his quote.
McCoy | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Now I like Conboy even more. I’ll pay for the plane ticket to get him down here.
Andrea | Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Marc - By your rationale, it should have been Sutter’s shoulder into Weight’s head. What I mean to point out is that (clean) hits are most effective when they are shoulder to shoulder/body, and a player (tall or short) usually alters the height of his center of mass and the contact point (shoulder) in order to hit his target. If your target is low to the ice, you crouch when you hit. If you’re taller you have to crouch more. The point is, you should be able to control what and where you hit someone. The fact that the 5′11 player managed to get his shoulder into the 6′3 player’s head demonstrates that the height of the players is probably not the issue, at least in this case.
Although… if a short player (intentionally or otherwise) skates face-first into the shoulder of a tall player and then falls over, whose fault is it? and who would be penalized? I think I see your point. I guess that would have to be left to the referees to judge intent? But I still think if you intend to hit, you should darned well make sure your shoulder doesn’t end up in someone’s head. I really think the NHL should try to address this issue, regardless.
I don’t have any idea how things work in the OHL… Anyone?
marc | Oct 29, 2008 | Reply
Andrea-
It seems it would be up to the ref’s discretion, and with hockey being such a fast moving game, how often would they make the correct call? I agree - I would love to hear the OHL take on this before I actually take a position on whether the refs need to police it like the OHL, or if the players should police it by getting rid of the instigator rule. Either way, the head shots need to stop, but without taking away from the art of laying out a big hit.