NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

And Allan Maki pretty much nails it in his blog today.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070926.WBhockeyblog20070926000455/WBStory/WBhockeyblog/

Dirty. Cheap. Needless. Despicable. Those words don’t just describe Tuesday night’s hit on Ottawa Senators forward Dean McAmmond. They describe the man who delivered it – Steve Downie of the Philadelphia Flyers.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Well said, Mr. Friend O'.

This will, no doubt, be just the beginning for Downie. Will TSN, who went all brown bunny on him when he was the hard-assed Canadian with the great background story at the WJC, level the same kind of vitriol at him that they would if McGrattan or Andrew Peters or somebody had done this? Yes, we're looking at you, Pierre McGuire.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

The Big Head's blog ...

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/mckenzie/?id=219220
Did Downie leave his feet before making impact? The Senators says yes, big time. My limited viewing of replays is inconclusive, but our boys back at the shop at TSN looked at it frame by frame and said Downie's feet may have come up slightly before impact but it was not a huge leap by any standards, although Downie's airborne body AFTER the hit certainly created the impression Downie left his feet.

There's your answer, Huggy.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Later in the blog:

As for Downie, this isn't about persecuting him personally. I've known the kid since he played peewee hockey against a team I coached. I admire a lot about the young man who has had great hardship in his life. He's talented but he's also capable of being malicious and has clearly had issues in terms of discipline and behavior. And while we can all criticize him for that, the truth is those qualities, even the dark ones, are held in high regard in our sport. Hockey is, at times, a violent blood sport.

And in conclusion ...

But on this night, in this instance, on this hit, there's no question about what happened and why it happened and to tell you the truth, it sort of sickens me.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Sirs, Madames,

Yeah, Maki just gets it wrong enough. He assaulted a 16-year-old Aliu, X-checked in the mouth, cold, in practice. A little malevolent shit-head but a Canadian Hero (Maguire, Cam Cole, Mark Spector, etc).

YHS, etc

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Sirs, Madames,

All this brings me back to one of my pet peeves. Leaving your feet (skates off the ice).

No doubt the intent is to injure, but the method in all likelihood lessens the chance of injury by diminishing impact. It's simple physics. As soon as you leave your feet you are: a) losing speed, and b) losing any point of leverage. As dramatic as it looks, if you're trying to hurt somebody, skating through the check creates a greater impact. I've tried to argue this one many times. You can talk about NHL rules all you want ... the laws of physics apply. It's the basics in karate -- if you're jumping and kicking, you'll produce both an impact and a recoil (knocking yourself backward). Spectacular, not the most effective thing.

YHS, etc

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Maybe I'm a small person, but I certainly want to see Downie have to scrap with the following tough guys this season: Laraque, McGrattan, Neil, Boogarad, Orr...hopefully they can pound some respect into him.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Mr Beat,

No self-respecting heavyweight would dirty his hands on Downie. It will have to be a middleweight -- where are they? Back in the day there were more than a few (Keane, Guerin, S Thomas, Todd Gill) and, if you go back to ancient days, some real animals (Garry Howatt, say). Maybe Barnaby qualifies but now you've got a bunch of pests who are hit and run (the former Darcy Tuckey, Avery the more recent template) rather than stand and deliver.

YHS, etc

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Mr. FOTF,

That is sort of my point. The middleweight is gone--maybe forever--so cheapshotting little twerps like Downie are able to get away with acting like pseudo tough guys.

Perhaps it will take a heavyweight to make Downie accountable.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

My take on this incident, it was a cheap shot by Downie on McAmmond. Since a couple of posters says that the preseason doesn't matter, why would Downie try to make an impact in this fashion during a preseason game? Regardless of when he did it, it was uncalled for and I hope he does get a call from the NHL office about this.

I for one am glad that players like Tucker have toned down a little on the cheap shots and have let their play speak for itself.

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

The headline news on CP24 said that Downie had been suspended indefinitely. How long is he likely to be looking at?

 

Re: 2007 NHL awards/draft/off-season/training camp/preseason running thread

Well, the FAN/Sportsnet is reporting that McAmmond doesn't have serious injuries.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2007/09/26/mcammond_injury/

Downie is claiming that he did not mean to hit him, but sorry the play shows otherwise.

10, 20 games...

Sorry I may have missed this. Is Downie a repeat offender?