Should Ovechkin be suspended?

A Capitals official told Washington reporters after Thursday's game that he did not believe Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin would get supplemental discipline for his hit on Lightning defenseman Jamie Heward that left Heward unconscious on the ice for 90 seconds but, thankfully, only with a concussion.

Still, NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell said early Friday morning that the hit, like all others that results in injury, will be reviewed.

"We look at all hits and plays, particularly those that result in injury," Campbell said in an e-mail. "We don't announce anything unless there is an eventual suspension."

Players also can be fined up to $2,500, the max allowed by the collective bargaining agreement. If you recall, that is what happened to former Capitals player Matt Cooke after his hit last season that injured Vinny Lecavalier.

Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said after the game that he did not think Ovechkin was trying to injure Heward, Ovechkin's former teammate, or that Ovechkin was trying to be dirty. His only concern was if Ovechkin left his feet. Tocchet said he spoke to referee Marc Joannette. He said Joannette said he "could not tell."

If there is a suspension, it will come before Washington's game Saturday against the Rangers.

Heward stayed overnight at Washington's Selbey Hospital for observation, with assistant trainer Mike Poirier, while the team flew back to Tampa.

Comments

[keith]

Ajax....reading the Guardian? As a transplanted Brit, can I tell you, you might find the Telegraph Sports on line to be a better source.

[Tosha]

I'm even a Capitals fan, and a big fan of Ov (I wish the NHL would focus more on making him the league star than Cindy Crybaby). And in saying that, and also being a fan of the Lightning I have to say I do think the hit at least deserved a penalty. Routine hit or not at normal speed, I always thought if you are going at a guy and you see his numbers then it's automatic boarding call? What happened to that rule? Like everything in the NHL, it's subject to change I guess. Which is why this sport is being ruined.
But I'm a fan of Ov's, big fan of his (what can I say the great 8 entertains me on CSN showing me the only NHL action I can watch from SWVA). So I think I can be fair in saying I still think he should have been given a penalty. And we're all not stupid here, and we all know Ov is a league drawing player, he's what puts butts in the seats up in DC; so they will never risk suspending him for anything he does. However it does puzzle me about the lack of heart the Lightning have, that they didn't at least nag the guy to make him feel bad (hey hockey is played with mind games, what else do you think those guys are jabbin at each other talkin before face offs)... I mean remember how the Devils tried to tear up Kubina and the Bolts our first playoff trip before winning over hitting Stevens in the ear, calling it intentional; when that didn't even draw a penalty either (it was a crazy shot, didn't deserve one). I'm just saying, lately these days I'm glad I only get to see the Bolts play the few times it's on CSN against the Caps; because this team sickens me. I have to say it, even after this latest tiny "win streak" they got on, they still are a team skating with no heart. If a Bolts guy had unintentionally taken out a Caps defender (not even an important role player) you better believe one of the Caps would have come ready to throw down with whoever checked the guy. That's why until this team gels like that, grows a heart, and stops simply skating for the act of collecting a paycheck they'll never be winners again. I sorta describe what I see of the Lightning this year as Welfare Hockey, they're drawing a check off our money (season tickets, merch, etc) and not putting in the time to actually work or do something to dig themselves outta the basement (trailer park/ghetto apartments). I love the Lightning (even thou just a lil less after Kubi went to the Leafs), but anymore I'm glad I don't care as much as I once did... and this comes from a fan from the middle of no where who's followed this team every year since 97. Grow a heart boys, start caring; get off your NHL welfare collecting arses!

[Steve R]

I was at the game. It looked like a normal hit that you see 20 times a night with play continuing. Jamie just crumpled & we were left trying to figure out what the h@ll had just happened. Looked like Ov gave him a little tap with the stick just before the hit. A heads up that the hit was coming? Don't know, but I'm curious about it. Glad Jamie was released, and hopefully he has a quick recovery.

[hockeytalkie]

as i watched it live i thought -2 min boarding- but watching it replayed over and over at the time my view softened to maybe call it maybe not. i guess when a guy crumbles in the corner from any hit like that we're all just conditioned to see the ref's arm spring up no matter who did it. and that's why many are shocked by the non-call.

one telling sign was that not only did NO player take a run at OV right away at the whistle, but no one went after him in the remaining 10 minutes either. in fact he stayed on the ice and was talking with TBL players (arty in particular) as the trainers and staff were treating Hewerd. i know bolts were still in game at that point but surely if TBL wanted pay him back they would have done so once the score went 7-4 dont you think?

2 minutes? maybe, maybe not. suspension or fine? no way.

coach bill -SAT vs Carolina i will be leaning against the "Berlin Wall newspaper" near the 114-115 tunnel entrance on the concourse at the 1st intermission. i'll be with my 20 year old nephew. no confusion this time, right?

[CapFan#8]

I was watching the game, and when the hit occurred, thought little of it - its a hit that happens at least 10 times in every game, and probably more. Then, saw Heward prone on the ice, and thought "Oh my Lord, what just happened to him?"

I think it disingenuous to judge the legality of the hit by the injury the hit caused. A number of factors are introduced here, all of which would point to this being a freak accident as opposed to an attempt to injure:

1. Alex plays a "rough and tumble" brand of hockey - he is physical.

2. Alex is a physical specimen - 6'2" and 225 lbs...and he looks to be chisled from stone.

3. Alex is fast.

4. Alex was clearly trying to retrieve the puck.

5. Despite his proximity to the boards, Heward seemed ill-prepared to absorb the hit.

6. Jamie is not as big as Alex.

7. Alex and Jamie were teammates, and Jamie was held in relatively high esteem by his teammates.

So, you get 225 lbs of solid mass, moving at a rapid pace, pursuing the puck like a junkyard dog after a porterhouse, into another object of lesser mass, the object of lesser mass is going to be displaced. Clearly, it was Alex's intent to displace Jamie, and recover possession of the puck - everyone will agree to that. Intent to displace the object of lesser mass, does not imply intent to send the object lesser mass into an immovable object - the boards - with a force sufficient and at an angle necessary to cause injury.

This was a tragic and freak accident, and nothing more. My wishes and prayers are with Jamie, and his family for a speedy recovery, and return to action.

[PD]

Be nice about it..what did I say other than caling Vinny a floater.

You can find him any night waiting on the blue line for a pass thats not coming because Boyle is 2300 miles away..lol

Talk about thin skinned.

Do stay tuned on the Leafs Ajax..for the schadenfreude

Almost a 500 team playing good kids everynight and Burkie has the $ Assets and Cap space to get the job done

Bolts have none of those.

[Boltflasher]

Funny, Leo,...don't know about that cuter part...haven't seen either one of ya...

[leo]

No call?? Wow. What was the explanation?
Oh, Ajax; think you meant "bizarre". Unless you meant that PD LIVES in a bazaar (flea-market)?
And no hyphen between "thank" and "you".
Hey, I'M ALLOWED to tease Ajax, folks. Tell'em, Ajax.
As for PD, two things:
First, it's TRUE that PD seems to have become more virulent. (What's up with that, PD?; you were much nicer as Bear.) You can either retort hotly and lose your wits in barely controlled team-patriotic rants or accept the EASY challenges that PD sets forth to defend your boys.
Secondly, consider what motivates PD to post on this blog. Like me, he places his boys on the highest pedestal and sees all opposition as wanting no more than to taint their greatness but the Bolts STILL fascinate him. Why else would he subject himself to continuous counter-sentiments?
Thankful you should be to have a nemesis on your site, so you may practice your hockey views against a less accepting target instead of amongst yourselves.
Lastly, consider that though I'm nicer than PD and cute as a button to boot, I make no compromise either. Of course, as a Mtl Canadien, it's my duty to EXUDE class and honour, symbol of Our heritage, so you'll NEVER hear me question anyone's knowledge or love of hockey or their intelligence or visual acuity in following the game if they disagree with mine. That's just a matter of persona.
But the message underneath...often mirrors those of less-rosey sitreps from "less-than-favorite-posters."
It's all in the delivery.
So be mean if you must, PD, but can't you be nice about it?
P.

[ajax]

Leo, thank-you. Ditto. Not a crime but definitely a penalty, that didn't get called. Text book boarding.

[ajax]

Brittany, wise girl. PD lives on a blog of a team he hates. Tell me how truly bazaar that is, if you think about it. Defies logic. Rocket Richard trophy
King Clancy trophy
World Cup MVP trophy
2nd in goals last three years
5th in points last three years
...and a Stanley Cup Ring...
Greatest league on the planet and 2/5 in goals and points. Must be one helluva a floater PD. I think the word you are trying to grasp is...Finisher. Little trivia, the guy who scored the game winning goal for Toronto in their last cup (1967) Jim Pappin(ex-Hawk)
He is now 69 years old. HA HA...HA HA HA..
Must be one bitter fricking pill to swallow being a Leafs fan. Put a bag over your head!!! Can you imagine the entire team of Cup winners from that 67 Toronto team will be dead before the Leafs win another cup. Who is going to drop the first puck for them if they make it back to the finals?? Maybe Beliveau or LaFleur?? Ha Ha...HA HA HA...

[leo]

Hadn't seen the hit. Thanks for the link, Mike.
Definite Boarding. No, he didn't see the numbers, but he definitely boarded Heward's head into the sidewall. Pushed with his arms. Boarding.
Ovie said "I had speed. It was just a moment." Coming from Ovie, I believe it, but players still have to be accountable.
No more hooking or holding or "running the gauntlet" so players come in with unbarred speed. Extreme boardings are one of the consequences. It's up to players to be aware of that.
True, the hit itself didn't look too bad, but it was boarding. Unfortunately though, the hit wasn't "dirty" enough to warrant a suspension, so no, he shouldn't get one and yes, I'd say the same if it had been Simon (well, maybe not Simon, but you see my point).
What did Ovie get? 2min? 5min? No minutes?
P.

[Brittany]

PD, come on now man. Why do you just have to come here and call the players names and say we are trying to use this as a story instead of the fact that we lost the game? Smitty had a crappy game. Every goalie has them. He has carried this team all year long, it sure would be nice if they could carry him for a game or two here and there (and one of those goals where Smitty was behind the net was all on Malik as far as I'm concerned).

And knock it off with the Vinny Float. Let me ask you, how many Rocket Richard trophies have you won? How many Stanley Cups? How many times have people mentioned your name when talking about the best players in the league? When was the last time you had major surgery a mere 5 or so months before you were due back at a very physical job and expected to carry everyone on your back? He has more goals than you do, he has more points than you do, he has more trophies than you do. I think that pretty much means you have no right to call him a floater... just sayin'. There is no need for name calling. If you don't like him, that is fine. You don't need to come here and call him names like an elementary school kid though.

OV's hit wasn't malicious, it was reckless. You replace OV's name with Arty, Downie, etc. and suddenly it becomes a big deal and a dirty hit and we are talking multi-game suspensions. Don't tell me there is no superstar treatment. We should all be happy that it wasn't worse than it was though. When he was on the ice not moving, it did not look good. Best wishes on a speedy recovery to Jamie. I can't imagine how his wife must have felt watching that on TV.

[ajax]

Marty has more points than Brad, on a team that has scored 18 more goals than us. Brad is -6, Marty +7. Vinny +4. And by the way Marty/Vinny have been on the ice for 5 empty net goals (would be +12,+9) Not bad for a floater and a washed up little guy. Last I checked as of this morning, only Ovechkin has more goals in last three years than Vinny. What a bum. What a floater. Insane statements you make, backed by pure jealousy. Results are hard to argue, and RINGS and Trophies!!. Funny little note, of the 34 players ahead of Richards in scoring, only the two guys from Atlanta(worst team in hockey) have a worst plus/minus than Brad. Seems you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Great article I found that sums up alot about one of our bloggers. Funny entertaining reading. Found the words "sympathy" and "arrogant" to be oh so dead on. Enjoy like I did.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/oct/15/nhl-toronto-maple-leafs

[PD]

Ajax , ajax only 19 guys ahead of Vinny Float..thats truly funny.
Hardly all star creds anymore

BTW Richie has more points than anyone on the Bolts..just sayn

Burkie kinda knows what he's doing so leave it up to him. I sure wouldn't trade places with too many teams going forward. No one's laughing

[Joe]

Washington has become our new Sunrise. Now we can win on road against Panthers but cant in Washington, and usually dont get close.

Smith had a bad game but he has them so rarely he gets a pass as far as im concerned. Lets get back on track with wins against Carolina and Atlanta this weekend.

[hobey]

I agree with Mr. Charlesbois - Heward had his head down very close to the boards. Anyone would have clocked him unless they had miracle air breaks. Plain and simple. He will not be fined or suspended.

[Billy Charlesbois]

"Keep your head up, and your stick on the ice" How early in organized hockey are players told to keep their heads up?? Not trying to sound callous, but come on, if Heward would have had his head up when he's 2 feet from the boards, it's a nothing play.

[ajax]

It wasn't dirty, it was freaky that it caused so much harm, I believe his head was turned and I am sure he got a heck of a neck wringing. It was textbook boarding penalty though. Sorry, not a homer or anything, but make no mistake if Arty does that he is in the box, guarenteed. When you hit a guy from behind that is boarding. He won possession of the puck because of it. Anyway clearly a penalty but what ya gonna do. Toronto got thumped as usual last night. Vinnyfloat, playing for worst offensive team in hockey has only 19 guys ahead of him in goals. 13 of those 19 guys have more PPlay goals and 12 of them have empty netters. Take away empty net goals and he is 12th in the league on a team that couldn't score for a month. He is a floater that lots of teams would want!! Toronto gets thumped again as Burke tries to talk some of the big salary guys into taking a trade. How frustrating it must be to be a Leaf fan and they are dumping salary while 10 million under the cap. Oh yeah they are positioning themselves for a run in 2011. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. Even Captain Canada, Mats, couldn't stomach another winter in Toronto of losing noncompetitive hockey. HA HA HA HA HA

[puckhead]

I was asked:
" I would ask puckhead if he thinks the brand of hit to the head executed by Ovechkin has a place in the NHL.."

My short answer is that there was nothing wrong with this hit. This wasn't a Pronger/Stevens type of hit. It was just a run of the mill down low play that had a fluke result. It has nothing to do with if someone is a star player or not. Lets not look for conspiracies as an excuse for the way our season is going.

My long answer is that watching all the replays Ovechkin did not hit him to the head. Ovechkin did not leave his feet. This was a normal check that went awry because Heward had his head down and hit the boards at an awkward angle. Ovechkin's arm made contact with the neck/side of head of Heward, but we have the benefit of looking at things as a fan through replay and not at full speed. Hockey is a game of impact that comes with risk. Let's not nerf the game because of a fluke injury.

[Max Hunter]

I saw the game on the internet, and I gotta tell ya - I felt bad for OV. I truly don't think he meant to hurt him, and the hit didn't look that ruthless - in fact I thought it looked clean. It was just an unfortunate accident - if there was a hint of intent, then I would say suspend him.

[Lamp]

Watching the video several times over, it doesn't look like Ovie even made contact with his head. Looks like a freak result from a rather normal hit in the corner.

Probably very clear it was what the book calls a "hit from behind" though.

We need all the help we can. Any injury to anyone just makes the whole situation tougher.

[Nan]

Ovechkin's hit may or may not have been intentional but Heward was hit from behind. He was face to the boards and run into from behind, normally that is called boarding. A high stick whether or not is intentional is called, why wasn't this called? The NHL has turned into a joke with the petty almost nonexistent at times hooking calls and let stuff like this go. And he won't get a fine or suspension because he is Ovechkin. If that had been Arty hitting Ovechkin, it not only would have been called a boarding but he probably would have been suspended too.

[PD]

AO's hit was not remotely dirty, any more than Cook's was on Vinny Float.

Does take the story line away from yet another loss by Smith and the Bolts though.

[Mike13]

Here's a Youtube link of the hit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSM7IpXYvk0

It doesn't look dirty to me. Ovechkin practically missed him. Frankly, I'm a little confused as to how Heward got hurt so badly on the play.

[Joe Corr]

The hitting from behind penalty is so hit or miss applied in the NHL. When is was first put in the rule books in the late 70s or early 80s (by AHAUS) and used in the beer leagues, it was stated that if you were going to hit the numbers, you were hitting from behind.

Clearly Ovechkin could see the numbers, so I think it was a hitting from behind penalty for 2 min. I don't believe he hit him to try to hurt him, or that he deserves a fine or suspension.

[hyjyljyj]

I would ask puckhead if he thinks the brand of hit to the head executed by Ovechkin has a place in the NHL. (Even a perfectly "clean", textbook shoulder check is prohibited if it's to the head.) No one in the building would have been the least bit surprised to see a major for boarding and a game misconduct for that hit. But if it's the NHL's biggest star hitting a nobody from the Lightning, he probably didn't mean it. (I agree. So what? It's still a foul and should have been called.)

If I had to guess I'd say a fine and one game are probably coming for Ovechkin, just to make the league look like it's consistent about its headhunting policy.

Marcel said it best: Look at the "new" NHL, they'll call a Hooking or Holding fast as hell, yet look around wondering after a guy is ran into the boards head first. Disgusting style of play.

Amen

[Ben bolt fan]

He left his feet and hit him high. Yes he needs to be fined. He is border line on his hits to begin with.
If this team with out Paul Ranger on the blue struggles, than this team is really horrible at that postion and every one can thank the "cowboy" gm for this season.
If the lightning want to know how to play at home, they just experienced it real quick.

[Brittany]

Do I think OV was trying to hurt Jamie? No. Do I think it was a dangerous hit? Yes. If it had been Arty who hit a Caps player like that, he would have been kicked out of the game and suspended before the night was over. If the league wants to make a statement that hits to the head will be punished no matter what, they should fine him and/or give him a 1 game suspention. Do I think that will happen? Nope.

I think people confuse OV's recklessness with intensity sometimes. Sure he is a ball of fire out there, but there was no need for a hit like that. If it had been anyone else, something would have been called. There should be no special treatment on those kind of plays. I'll say it again too, just to make sure people get my point, I don't think OV was trying to hurt Jamie, but he sure didn't try to slow down or avoid the hit when he saw Jamie had his head down and back to him.

[puckhead]

Lets not look at this as blind fans. The play itself was a routine play. Heward, although a veteran, was unprepared for it and had his head down. The impact was not great, but the location unfortunate as the side helmet impact to the glass caused injury. Keep in mind that hockey is a game played at full speed and fans are looking to punish Ovechkin for what 9999 times out of 10000 is just a routine check. If the roles were reversed and the check was delivered to someone on the opposition and not on the lightning, then noone here would likely say a thing.

As for "pounding Ovechkin on principal", that kind of thuggery has no place in the NHL. Injury or not, you don't fight after a clean hit.

[Marcel]

Sibley is where Caps doctor is based, very good hospital.

Heward was helpless on the play, the meaning of the word Respect is unknown.

Look at the "new" NHL, they'll call a Hooking or Holding fast as hell, yet look around wondering after a guy is ran into the boards head first.
Disgusting style of play.

Penalty or not, any "team player" would have pounded Ovechkin out of principal, maybe then he'll think twice before he runs a guy.