Welcome to another exciting edition of the NHL Wheel of Discipline! Our effort to chronicle the stupidity of the NHL's supplementary discipline system continues. Just remember, Sean Avery got six games for a sex joke. Instead of serving as a baseline, it seems to be a forgotten fact at NHL headquarters.There's no denying the positive effect a hard, clean check can have on a hockey team. Energizes the bench, and if you're at home, it also energizes the fans. It can be a huge momentum swing.
The hit Dion Phaneuf of Calgary threw on Columbus forward R.J. Umberger Wednesday night was, however, not clean. The Flames won the game 5-4 in a shootout, but they did it having to play over 50 minutes of the game without their star defenseman, who took himself out of the game with a nasty hit from behind on Umberger in the first period.
Before we discuss, here is the video.
A couple thoughts:
The officials got it right. I'm about to call for a suspension, but that hit did not warrant a match penalty. Had Phaneuf launched himself into Umberger, led with an elbow, or hit him in the head, I might think differently. In this case, however, a five-minute major for boarding was completely justifiable. Match penalties (automatic suspension) should be saved for something a bit more egregious.
This is a classic case of the type of hit the NHL should actually attempt to eliminate. We're slowly approaching the point where either the NHL does something, or we eventually put stop signs on the backs of jerseys like youth hockey leagues do.
There is simply no reason for a hit like this. At no point in the sequence is Umberger facing Phaneuf. This isn't a case where a player turns his back at the last second. Phaneuf knew he was hitting Umberger from behind and proceeded with full force.
It might not cross the line into "intent to injure" territory, but it doesn't end up too far away from that.
As far as what I'd say is a fair decision from the NHL office, I keep coming back to a two-game ban. It wasn't as stupid as John Zeiler's hit on Adam Foote earlier in the season, and Zeiler got three games for that hit.
In the end, however, the NHL should have a goal of stopping guys from plowing into opponents from behind. Asking nicely isn't going to do the trick.
