So hitting from the side is also hitting from behind? That was a hard, clean hit that should have never been called a penalty. The way Bergeron landed made it look worse than what it was. At 42 seconds, you can clearly see it was from the side. And it wasn’t a charge since Adams glided into the hit.

Posted by cs6687 on 05/02/10 at 05:22 PM ET

Indication from the league is the Craig Adams 5 min hit from behind on Bergeron won’t be enough to warrant additional discipline.

“Indication from the league is that Craig Adams is on Gary’s Favorite Team, which will be enough to avoid additional discipline.”

Posted by MarkK from Maryland on 05/02/10 at 05:26 PM ET

So hitting from the side is also hitting from behind?

If you blind-side the guy, you blind-side him; doesn’t matter if it’s from the back or side.

But it wasn’t a hard enough hit to warrant anything more than the major it got. Stupid play, but not overly-dangerous.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste Marie on 05/02/10 at 05:27 PM ET

CS, if it was Daniel Carcillo with that hit on Sergei Gonchar with 2 minutes to go in a decided game, would you be saying the same thing?  Doubtful.

Posted by MarkK from Maryland on 05/02/10 at 05:28 PM ET

If you blind-side the guy, you blind-side him; doesn’t matter if it’s from the back or side.

True, but the penalty was called as a check from behind, which it clearly wasn’t.

Posted by cs6687 on 05/02/10 at 05:29 PM ET

If it happened in the regular season, a suspension for sure, but in the playoffs, the flow chart says no.

Posted by Kstewy16 on 05/02/10 at 05:30 PM ET

offcourse not,never,
if on the other hand the roles were reversed,and it was Bergeron that made the hit,...........?

Posted by edillac from isolation on 05/02/10 at 05:31 PM ET

CS, if it was Daniel Carcillo with that hit on Sergei Gonchar with 2 minutes to go in a decided game, would you be saying the same thing?  Doubtful.

On that hit, no. It was a clean hit.

Posted by cs6687 on 05/02/10 at 05:32 PM ET

but the penalty was called as a check from behind, which it clearly wasn’t.

Well, yes, but there is no penalty in the book called “check from the side”, and that is because it is common sense that “check from behind” covers any blind-side hit.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste Marie on 05/02/10 at 05:32 PM ET

On that hit, no. It was a clean hit.

Why yes, the emperor’s new clothes are lovely.

Posted by MarkK from Maryland on 05/02/10 at 05:33 PM ET

Why yes, the emperor’s new clothes are lovely.

Are you going to contribute anything of substance to this topic?

Posted by cs6687 on 05/02/10 at 05:38 PM ET

Good God, CS, you are carrying some water for the Pens on this one.

It was a dangerous, illegal hit.  Stop defending it.  Makes you look silly.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 05/02/10 at 05:40 PM ET

Stop it at 42 seconds, where Adams makes contact. The hit is from the side. Bad call.

Posted by cs6687 on 05/02/10 at 05:41 PM ET

So Adams’ left elbow and forearm go directly into the left digit of the number on Bergeron’s back, and it’s “from the side”?

Completely suspendable.  Repeat offender.  This is not even the first time he’s had a nasty hit from behind this season.  Should be out at least two.

Posted by Confused on 05/02/10 at 05:41 PM ET

Make that 45 seconds. Still, not a penalty.

Posted by cs6687 on 05/02/10 at 05:42 PM ET

Good call.  Suspension not warranted.  I would also say it could have been called as boarding.

Posted by Graf from A2 on 05/02/10 at 05:44 PM ET

Stop it at 42 seconds, where Adams makes contact. The hit is from the side. Bad call.

Most blind-side hits will be called “check form behind”.

You’re not dumb, you understand that. You’re just angry about today’s performance, and purposely being obtuse because of pure emotionalism.

And, yes, I am Dr. Phil.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste Marie on 05/02/10 at 05:48 PM ET

And, yes, I am Dr. Phil.

But are you an expert?

(and yes, I think it was a dirty hit)

Posted by Kstewy16 on 05/02/10 at 05:50 PM ET

FWIW…...

44.1 Checking from Behind – A check from behind is a check delivered on a player who is not aware of the impending hit, therefore unable to protect or defend himself, and contact is made on the back part of the body. When a player intentionally turns his body to create contact with his back, no penalty shall be assessed.

Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 05/02/10 at 06:05 PM ET

When a player intentionally turns his body to create contact with his back

...which did not happen.

Blind-side hits will be called “checking from behind” in most cases.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste Marie on 05/02/10 at 06:07 PM ET

Either way refs have to start accounting for body position, i.e., you have possession of the puck and your body is between the puck and the defender. This is especially critical when you are near the boards, this type of hit has to be called no matter if the player was injured or not… calling it everytime will force players to actually make a play on the puck…

Posted by pgoody on 05/02/10 at 06:08 PM ET

So hitting from the side is also hitting from behind? That was a hard, clean hit that should have never been called a penalty. The way Bergeron landed made it look worse than what it was. At 42 seconds, you can clearly see it was from the side. And it wasn’t a charge since Adams glided into the hit.

Posted by cs6687 on 05/02/10 at 05:22 PM ET

thank god you are not a ref in the NHL players would be getting killed left and right…

Posted by pgoody on 05/02/10 at 06:11 PM ET

CS, the way I see it, it wasn’t literally ‘checking from behind’, but it was a dangerous blindside hit.  If anything, I think the 5 and game penalty was called to defuse any retribution from the Habs.  It’s a lot like the situation with the Kronwall hit on Havlat in last year’s playoffs.  It was a hard hit, but if there was no penalty called on Kronner, the game would’ve spiraled out of control.

Posted by DANGLEDANGLE on 05/02/10 at 06:19 PM ET

As usual pens fans crying just like their captain.

Give it up CS, your crappy team was losing that game with or without the penalty.

Cant stand all the pittsburgh crybabies.

Posted by Dan on 05/02/10 at 06:31 PM ET

Make that 45 seconds. Still, not a penalty.

I’m confused. Is that the part where the announcers state “He’s looking at his numbers the whole way”

Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 05/02/10 at 06:36 PM ET

As usual pens fans crying just like their captain.

Give it up CS, your crappy team was losing that game with or without the penalty.

Cant stand all the pittsburgh crybabies.

Who are you, and why I should I give a damn what you think?

Posted by cs6687 on 05/02/10 at 06:43 PM ET

LOUD NOISES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by pgoody on 05/02/10 at 06:49 PM ET

So hitting from the side is also hitting from behind?

you must need glasses.  that hit was clearly from behind.  even if it wasn’t, it’s a dangerous hit.  anyone can see that.  and the players know what a dangerous hit is better than we do.  it’s disgusting that players continue to do things like this to each other.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/02/10 at 07:14 PM ET

But it wasn’t a hard enough hit to warrant anything more than the major it got. Stupid play, but not overly-dangerous.

nonsense.  ask Kris Draper if you have to be hit hard for it to be dangerous.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/02/10 at 07:15 PM ET

Good call.  Suspension not warranted.  I would also say it could have been called as boarding.

you know that boarding has nothing to do with the angle of the hit, and everything to do with the violence of the hit into the boards, right?  you can hit someone head into the boards and be called for boarding.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/02/10 at 07:16 PM ET

Stop it at 42 seconds, where Adams makes contact

um, here’s a screen-grab at 42 seconds:

anyway, here is a split second before contact is made:

you have to be seriously blind, or a serious Pens-homer, to not think that’s a hit from behind.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/02/10 at 07:21 PM ET

44.1 Checking from Behind – A check from behind is a check delivered on a player who is not aware of the impending hit, therefore unable to protect or defend himself, and contact is made on the back part of the body. When a player intentionally turns his body to create contact with his back, no penalty shall be assessed.

cs, even if it wasn’t a hit from behind (which it clearly was) it was boarding:

42.1 Boarding – A boarding penalty shall be imposed on any player or goalkeeper who checks an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards. The severity of the penalty, based upon the degree of violence of the impact with the boards, shall be at the discretion of the Referee.

checking from behind can be called near the boards or away from them.  boarding can be called only near the boards, but doesn’t have to be from behind.  basically a check like this could be called EITHER.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/02/10 at 07:26 PM ET

Cheapshot. A frustrated guy taking it out with a dirty hit. The NHL needs to suspend this kind of shit.

Posted by Andy from FightNight on 05/02/10 at 07:47 PM ET

um, here’s a screen-grab at 42 seconds:

Um, loser, I corrected myself if you look at the next post I made after that.

Posted by cs6687 on 05/02/10 at 08:00 PM ET

Bad hit.  There’s too much of this going around in the playoffs…almost every shift (though without the charging).

Posted by stoneman from vegas on 05/02/10 at 08:16 PM ET

um, here’s a screen-grab at 42 seconds:

Um, loser, I corrected myself if you look at the next post I made after that.

I notice you didn’t respond to ANY of the rest of my post.  gee, I wonder why.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/02/10 at 08:17 PM ET

Though…he was diddling with the puck like he always does.

Posted by stoneman from vegas on 05/02/10 at 08:18 PM ET

if that was carcillo he’ll be suspended in a heartbeat. what do you expect, penguins get a free pass….

Posted by FlyersFan on 05/02/10 at 08:39 PM ET

The league has to wait until someone gets a concussion from this type of play to start suspending players?  Oh wait, why is Willie Mitchell still out?  A boarding penalty from Malkin.  And Malkin was not suspended.  The league simply has to do more to punish dangerous plays more severely.  I don’t see why a shoulder pad to the head now gets you a suspension but a hit that causes head collision with the end board doesn’t.  Or does the league only suspend players when an injury is the result, so that players are allowed to take chances, as not all dangerous actions cause injuries?

Posted by Kel on 05/03/10 at 07:57 AM ET

More Canadian Meathead hockey.  Send a message or whatever other nonsense.  It was a cheap shot, Bergeron never saw it coming and the game was over at that point.  Cheap shots are not the way to defeat this horrible trap hockey.  Pens have to be smart and wear away at Montreal.

Posted by 13 user names from New York on 05/03/10 at 10:13 AM ET

It was not a clean hit, noer was it from the side. If you look at the video Bergeron had his right shoulder turned away from the boards and for it to have been considered a hit from the side he would have had to have been hit from that shoulder.  Howerever Adams circled the exposed shoulder and hit from the left shoulder.  I understand you’re a pens fan, but that is an illegal hit from behind.

Posted by Jake from Montreal on 05/03/10 at 11:10 AM ET

I think that if you need to use slow-motion replay from two different angles to support your assertion that a call the ref made in a split-second at ice level is wrong because, technically, Adams was a little bit to the side of Bergeron, then perhaps your argument may be on the weak side.

Posted by kushiro on 05/03/10 at 11:47 AM ET

As usual the NHL has shown that all it’s worried about is selling tickets and not using their power for showing that they have a back bone.

For all Pens Fans!
if this was your your precious Crosby? what would you have done? Cried, bitched and talked super loud about “How cheap that play was”. and the other player would have been thrown out of the League, never mind a suspension.

Plus didn’t your boy Crosby not get called for breaking a stick on the net and almost breaking it on Jaros Face? This boy wins one Stanley Cup and now we have to kiss his feet at every play or move he does!!! NHL DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS CRYBABY!!!!

what’s horrible is that you guys are suppose to have class and yet ZERO worse then the CAPS! i hope we send you boys packing, Crosby can swing the golf clubs for the rest of the season

HABS in 6!
GO HABS GO!!!!

Posted by Mass from MTL on 05/03/10 at 11:23 PM ET