Alex Ovechkin Will Not Be Suspended for Hit on Jamie Heward

During this morning's recap, I made mention of Tampa Bay defenseman Jamie Heward being taken off the ice on a stretcher after he was hit by Washington's Alex Ovechkin during the Capitals' 7-4 win on Thursday night. Heward suffered a concussion on the hit, and was apparently unconcious for 90 seconds as he was face-first on the ice.

As the NHL tends to do whenever there is a hit that leads to a player being knocked out cold, the league reviewed the play (shown above) and determined that no disciplinary action would be necessary. From Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Tribune:

Lightning GM Brian Lawton said Ovechkin will draw no discipline from the league. Lawton said he spoke to NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell Friday morning, who told him the play had been reviewed and Ovechkin will not face league discipline. No penalty was called on the play. "I was told by the league it was not a targeted hit to the head," Lawton said. "In their assessment, Ovechkin never left his feet." Lawton said the league decided Heward's crouching on the play also contributed somewhat to the hit to the head. "I didn't see it that way," Lawton said, though he added, "under the explanation I was given, that was acceptable."

The NHL is, supposedly, trying to crack down on hits that target the head, and they tend to base their suspensions and/or punishments on whether or not the player on the receiving end was hurt, as was the case in this situation.

I tend to agree with the NHL's assessment in this case, as there didn't seem to be any malicious intent on the part of Ovechkin. Just an unfortunate injury on a hockey play.

What do you think, hockey fans? Should Ovechkin have been disciplined?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-02-2009 @ 8:32PM

NAM said...

The ruling was fair...no action was needed. It was a clean hit and if you watch the replay it is obvious. Just an unfortunate hit, Heward looked down and placed his head at shoulder level. No elbow, no jump, and no head hunting...just hockey!

1-02-2009 @ 4:20PM

watchorg said...

I understand hockey and I understand that Ovechkin did not intend to hurt Heward but unfortunatly when you hit someone in the back that far away from the boards people tend to get hurt We try to teach youngsters who are learning the game not to continue your check when you can read the entire number on the back of the jersey, I cannot understand why in all professional sports the best of the best seem to forget the fundamentals of the game.

1-02-2009 @ 4:34PM

Mike said...

If it were any other player that was not a "superstar" they would have been suspended. I've watched Ovechkin play and he is rough but also a "dirty" player. It's too bad that somebody that talented has to play like a goon.

1-02-2009 @ 6:55PM

marc said...

I have to agree with that 100%

1-02-2009 @ 7:15PM

JOY said...

Nice to see the Lightning showed up for this blog!!!! They barely showed up for the game last night!!! HEY MIKE SMITH: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7---AND THEY'RE ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!!

1-02-2009 @ 7:21PM

Abel2306 said...

No one dares to say it, the refs didn't call a penalty, what's the league's statement? "Heward was leaning his head forward on the play, which contributed to his injury..." "Alex's skates did not leave the ice..."

Even though ovechkin tries to roll off to the side as he's hitting Heward from behind, he still lands a solid forearm to the back of the neck/shoulder area of his former teamate, effectively checking him head first into the board.

I'm tired of this b*******.

Alex plays very rough, refs know it, yet there's no call...
The league claims they wan't to crack down on this type of hit, yet they don't want to put the foot down on this one. I don't care if it's a 1 game suspension or a fine. but don,t say it didn't happen, regardless of the excuses we'll hear, it's still a hit from behind causing injury.

1-02-2009 @ 7:28PM

Shaun Eric said...

as I see it this hit was unforturnate in the fact that Jamie was injured, but it was also a learning experiance for guys that play this game.

1-02-2009 @ 10:31PM

andie said...

if I was Avery this wouldn't be helping my "anger management".

1-03-2009 @ 11:28AM

Brad said...

Too bad there are too many people commenting on Ovechkin that most likely don't watch him play night in and night out. DIRTY? Hardly. Aggressive, absolutely. I've watched every Caps game since he entered the league 3 1/2 years ago, and he is NOT a dirty player. He just hits everything in sight, unlike Crosby or Malkin. Unfortunately, many players in the NHL are purposely turning their back to the play on every puck along the boards.
Please.......learn a little about a player before calling him dirty.

1-04-2009 @ 1:34AM

bill said...

Brad you are what they call a "homer". if it was any other player, without the name ovechkin, action by the league would have been taken. even though he may not be a "dirty player", he does seem to get special treatment from the league like crosby and malkin.

1-04-2009 @ 11:24AM

Caps4ever said...

I was at the game. Ovechkin certainly did not mean to hurt Heward and was visibly concerned, as were all us fans. Ovechkin plays the game according to the rules, and maybe it's the rules that need to be changed. He is certainly not a "goon" as one poster claims (See: Brashear). Ovie plays the game of hockey the way it is allowed to be played. Anyone who has had the pleasure of watching this extremely talented but hard-hitting league MVP should know that. And while we at the game collectively held our breaths while Heward -- a former Cap -- was unconscious and loaded onto a stretcher, the replay clearly shows that he put his head down! Anyone who plays any sport known to man knows that this is a BAD MOVE, particularly in hockey particularly near the boards. Having said all of that, I will tell you that while he was down the sport of hockey and who won the game didn't really matter to me or the other fans. I'm assuming Heward is a father, a husband, and a son to someone, and that's really what mattered the most to the Caps fans who watched the events unfold that evening.

1-04-2009 @ 12:07PM

Jim said...

aggressive. definitely. goon. definitely. If this were any other player besides Ovechkin he would be a goon, but because he scores goals, he is called aggressive. what a double standard.

1-04-2009 @ 7:44PM

BoomBoomGould23 said...

Ovechkin a "dirty" player? Get Real!!! He plays hard start to finish and every player in the league knows it.....the smart ones watch him at all times....but he wont jump someone on the faceoff like a NHL AllStar Starter we know....he's a class player 100%

1-04-2009 @ 7:52PM

boomboomgould23 said...

Ovechkin a goon? Get Real and learn the game!!!

1-06-2009 @ 11:25PM

Jym said...

double standard from the league. flyers fan here, so i remember last seasons' suspensions (some of them well deserved), but others, like hartnell's hit on alberts, where the league acknowledge that alberts put himself in a very vulnerable position, so they chose a mild suspension of 2-3 games.

i love ove, think he's a great player, but do believe any non-superstar would be suspended on that hit.

1-07-2009 @ 10:50AM

WingsFanRef said...

As a referee of the game I completely understand the decision here (which is unusual seeing the NHL's usual double standard). Ovechkin is not a goon for exactly the reason that others are calling hypocritical... he has a complete game. A goon is on the ice to play "dirty" hockey; Not only does Ovechkin have actual hockey skill, his aggressive style is not at all malicious but rather another reason he is a complete player. I would not have called a penalty on this hit, and neither did the NHL referees. If you really want to see preferential treatment look at Sydney Crosby's punch to the gonads... that is true goonish behavior that deserves punishment.

jnl9873 said...

Cheep shot Ove who would have thought any less....overrated

1-29-2009 @ 1:55AM

Curt said...

Ovechkin is a great player and very talented.
But he does take alot of cheap shots at other players. Case in point, during the Flyers/Caps game right before the allstar break he tried to take Jeff Carters knees out. He crouched down to knee level to make the hit, but thank god he just missed and ran into his own team mate. If he would have connected I,m sure Carter would have had damage to his knees. I love the way this guy plays the game, but you could tell on this play he was trying to take Carters knee out! And thats not cool.

2-05-2009 @ 10:41PM

Lindsey said...

Ok, first of all. Alex Ovechkin is a fantastic player in the NHL. He is a superstar, no matter what anyone says. Second of all, he didn't mean to hurt Heward. Hockey is Hockey, you're going to get hit. Ovechkin gets hurt, and he gets back up. It's extremely unfortunate that he hit Heward as hard as he did, but sorry it's hockey. If someone were to suspend that man for having an excellent hit, I would hope there would be an uproar within the NHL fans. If you don't like contact, start watching ballet.