Blue Jackets Livid at Scuderi After Hip Check on Chimera

As talk of NHL discipline heats up early in the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets would like a little bit of love from the league office.

During a 6-2 pasting at the hands of Los Angeles Sunday night, Columbus forward Jason Chimera carried the puck across the Kings' blue line, and was met promptly by a low hit from defenseman Rob Scuderi. What appeared to be an attempt at a solid hip check was treated as anything but by the Blue Jackets.

First off, a look at the videotape.



Scuderi was not penalized. Chimera was given a misconduct, presumably for chirping at the Kings' bench after he (thankfully) got up after the hit. Derek Dorsett picked up a game misconduct after jumping off the bench to get involved in a post-hit fracas. Dorsett, however, was said to be coming on as part of a line change, and his argument apparently won the league over, as he will not be suspended further.

Chimera was livid after the game.

"It's a dirty hit. There's no room in the game for that kind of (expletive). A guy takes your knees out, what are you supposed to do? It wasn't a hip check at all. It was a direct hit on the knee. That's the way it goes, I guess. And he doesn't want to fight after a hit like that, either. I landed on my face, on the ice. My neck was squished against the ice. I'm lucky I don't have a concussion or something. It's a dirty hit and there's no room in the game for it. Too many guys now are getting carried off the ice on a stretcher. It's just dirty stuff. It shows no level of respect. I don't care if Scuderi's a good player. He needs to stick up for himself. You fight after you do something like that to somebody."

Scuderi did not offer an apology, instead claiming that his hit on Chimera was clean. He also told reporters that he didn't have a problem with the way Columbus reacted, saying they were just standing up for a teammate.

It's not hard to understand why this hit is so controversial. Scuderi tried to throw an old-school hit, but he got a bit too close to Chimera's knees for comfort.

Now, for the $64,000 question: Should Scuderi face supplemental discipline?

It could be argued that he hit Chimera too low, but was it intentional? This isn't as clear-cut as most hits that result in suspensions. For example, you can't argue that Tuomo Ruutu was trying to throw a clean hit on Darcy Tucker. The argument in favor of suspending Scuderi alleges intent that isn't abundantly clear.

While the Blue Jackets' reaction is completely understandable, and Scuderi was wrong not to have fought later in the game when asked, the NHL's hands are virtually tied when it comes to suspending the defenseman. Any supplemental discipline here would open up a huge can of worms that the league isn't prepared to open.

(UPDATE: Scuderi was fined by the NHL)