As the Blackhawks and their fans celebrated their Game 5 victory against Nashville, not all the news was roses and celebratory. While they earned a victory to take a 3-2 lead in the series, they may have lost superstar winger Marian Hossa due to suspension for future game(s) against the Predators. He delivered a questionable hit in the waning minutes—sparking not only a comeback, but also controversy.
Here’s the succinct summary of what went down at the Madhouse:
“Marian Hossa was serving a major penalty for boarding the crap out of Dan Hamhuis behind the Predators net. The penalty looked eerily similar to the hit Alexander Ovechkin put on Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell back in March in which Ovechkin got suspended for two games. But Hossa was given only a five minute major as opposed to a game-misconduct, which he deserved.
To add insult to injury, once Hossa’s penalty expired, he rushed into the Nashville zone, planted himself at the side of the net and scored the overtime winner.” –Jeremy K. Gover (Section 303)
For those of you who are a little more visual, here’s the play in question:
NHL fans that have been following along all season were immediately drawing parallels between Hossa’s hit on Saturday with Alexander Ovechkin’s hit on Brian Campbell in March. After Ovechkin’s dangerous play, he was given a game misconduct and 2 games of supplementary discipline by Colin Campbell. With the similar nature of the plays, it’s an appropriate time to ask if Hossa will be receiving the same call from the NHL’s disciplinarian.
Honestly, it was shocking that Hossa did not receive a game misconduct to accompany his 5-minute major penalty. We’ve seen boarding calls earlier in the playoffs when a player received the major as well as a game misconduct (Andrew Alberts on Brad Richardson). If the league wants to be consistent (which they say they are), then he should have been kicked out for the rest of the game. Since the penalty occurred with about a minute left in the game, it seemed like a no-brainer. But then again, the 5 minute major would have lasted the rest of the game if the Predators could have held onto their lead in regulation. Regardless, if a play is worth of a game misconduct, then it’s worthy of a game misconduct. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the first minute of the game or the last.
This is the look of a man that was not given a game misconduct....
Something that will be talked about over the next couple of days will be the fact that he scored in OT. Does that change public opinion? “He had a dirty play, then came back right after his penalty and scored the game winning goal while the guy he hit was out for the game.” It’s a pretty simple, pre-packaged statement that is going to get replayed by media outlets all over the place—and people will buy into it by the truckload. Since hindsight is 20/20, people will point to Hossa’s game winner as more reason for him to be suspended for a future game. But stop and take an objective step back. Hossa scoring has no bearing on the situation. Of course it’s a horrible stroke of bad luck for anyone in Tennessee, but it can’t factor into any possible suspension.
I can see arguments both for and against a possible one-game suspension. We all know that it takes more to earn a penalty in the playoffs and suspensions are no different. Sometimes it feels like someone has to almost die (or be paralyzed) to get a second look from the powers that be. It’s the most intense time of year and usually players get a pass. Most of the time, I’m fine with it.
But in this case, Hossa and the Blackhawks really should be concerned of a suspension. Both the hit on Scott Nichol and Brian Campbell in the final month of the season were similar plays. Both had guys in vulnerable positions in dangerous proximity to the end boards. In both instances, the league the offending players received multiple game suspensions. In this case, Hossa was only given 5 minutes in the game. For hits that the league has so strongly tried to remove from the game, are they really going to settle for a single power play as the penalty?
If Hossa was penalized kicked out for the remainder of the game, I could see an argument for him to avoid suspension. The referees (and league by proxy) would have sent the message that these hits were unacceptable and everyone could move on. Whether the Preds win in regulation or not has no bearing on the matter. It’s the MESSAGE that would have been sent.
Another aspect to the situation is the reaction from Blackhawks fans. It’s interesting that last time, the hit was AGAINST a Blackhawk. Fans all over the Chicagoland area were crying for Ovechkin’s head. But this time, it’s BY a member of the Blackhawks. Do fans have different views on the hits because last time it was THEIR guy getting hit? Here’s a rational reaction from a Blackhawks blogger:
“This will undoubtedly get debated over and over, but in summary, I don’t believe the Hossa hit was clean, the penalty was correct, and if he gets suspended, 1 game should be enough.” –Blackhawks DL
Of course, this time we’ll also hear more “he barely touched him” talk from Blackhawks this time than when Brian Campbell broke his clavicle. But the fact of the matter is this hit was much more similar than they would want to admit. We’ll see if the league has the guts to drop a suspension on a star player in the playoffs. But can they really justify a dangerous hit with only a 5 minute penalty? If the Predators had the right players on the ice and held onto their lead, then they probably would have. But with the way the game ended and the attention that it received around the league, I’d be surprised if he didn’t receive a little more punishment.
That’s not the way it should be, but it’s the way it is.
Update: Per TSN, Colin Campbell and the NHL will NOT suspend Marian Hossa for his hit on Dan Hamhuis. Here is his explanation:
“I have made the decision that this play does not warrant supplemental discipline after considering all of the facts, including reviewing the video and speaking with Mr. Hossa. This play is distinguishable from recent incidents by a number of factors, including the degree of contact involved; the fact that the consequences of the play do not appear to be as severe; that this was a hockey play involving a race for the puck; that Mr. Hossa is not a repeat offender and that the call of a major penalty by the Referee was significant and appropriate.” –Colin Campbell
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.
