I love how you can take a random night in the middle of the season and see the entire spectrum of the hockey world. Great goals, brutal body checks and an incident that shows how horrible human beings can be provide the backdrop for our rundown. Whatever it is that you wanted to see—you probably saw it on Thursday night!
The Good
The goal by Steven Stamkos in the middle of the Anaheim Ducks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning game show just how great hockey players can be at what they do. Take amazing effort, mix in talent and some amazing hand-eye coordination and this is what you’ll get! Its plays like this that remind us why he was picked 1st overall last year.
The Bad
The bad is the hit that James Neal delivered to the back of Derek Dorsett in the 2nd period of the Blue Jackets win over the Dallas Stars. We’re going to find out what is more important to Colin Campbell: An injury or intent. It certainly doesn’t appear that Neal intended to injure the Blue Jackets forward—and that’s what SHOULD be a major factor when issuing a suspension. That being said, this certainly has the feel of an incident that could be used to make an example of dangerous boarding hits.
The Ugly
I’m not sure I have the proper words to describe this. Here we have a guy trying to take a hockey stick out of a little girl’s hands. I guess the dirty play extends beyond the ice.
Matt Reitz is the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com and former NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports. When he’s not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he’s usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It’s a never-ending job.
