WOW a headshot from TooTOO?? Now I’ve seen it all!!!!
Come on, it is all that he can do.  He’s a cheapshot artist.  Every team has one, but he is especially dirty.  I hate the guy, but he is pretty effective at getting away with things.

Posted by Luongo-is-my-hero on 04/10/09 at 10:40 PM ET

Clean hit. No rule against hits to the head. But the NHL needs to change that rule in the offseason.

Posted by cs6687 on 04/10/09 at 11:01 PM ET

This is why GMs are so reluctant to enact any rule changes on the issue.

Here’s what cannot be disputed:
1. As Fritsche loses control of the puck, he lowers his head
2. If Fritsche hadn’t lowered his head, it would have been a clean hit

Should the burden be on Tootoo?

He’s not aiming for the head.  He doesn’t leave his feet.  His elbow isn’t raised.  He makes contact with the shoulder; Fritsche’s head happens to be down at the exact moment Tootoo arrives.  Contact with Fritsche’s head is incidental.  Should that be a penalty?

Posted by PRC. on 04/10/09 at 11:07 PM ET

It’s the kind of hit that put Scott Stevens in the Hall of Fame.

Posted by Forechecker from Nolensville, TN on 04/10/09 at 11:13 PM ET

So you can’t hit a guy with a shoulder anymore?!

Fritche was playing the puck, looking for it after he lost it, and didn’t see Tootoo coming. Nothing late, nothing against the rules, he just had his head down. Was it clean? Not really, it was to the head. Was it legal? As of now, Yes.

Minnesota fans should be angry that John Scott (the only dressed heavyweight) didn’t single out Mr. Tootoo and let him know that you can’t take runs on his guys like that. They were up by at least 2 goals the whole game, there was plenty of opportunity there.

They knew that the guy runs around, they watched it happen, and they did nothing about it - End of story.

Posted by JAMESinMI on 04/10/09 at 11:15 PM ET

Fritsche should of remembered to keep his head up. their would be less concussions in nhl if players used their heads up.

scott stevens threw those kinda hits all the time i dont know why there is an issue.

Posted by FlyersFan on 04/11/09 at 12:15 AM ET

I take it nobody saw the hit Peter Olvecky threw on Tootoo about 5 seconds after the hit on Fritsche.  I can’t believe I’m saying this because I can’t stand him but Tootoo’s hit was clean to me.  I don’t recall any rules against hitting with your shoulder. 

Now hitting someone like Olvecky did is something called interference.  Apparently nobody seemed to notice that.

Posted by Matt Fry from Winnipeg on 04/11/09 at 12:47 AM ET

Unfortunate hit, yet legal. The only problem I have with it is how far Tootoo came to make the hit. He was cruising and there was no doubt about his intent. 

And that’s a spot your teammates gotta be looking out for you in the play. They should be calling out to warn him that a hit is coming.

Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 04/11/09 at 12:54 AM ET

Agree with posters 2-5.  Poster 1 is an idiot.  Clean hit, and nothing should come from this.

Posted by Sidney's tears on 04/11/09 at 01:06 AM ET

Legal and unfortunate. Hope he learns to keep his head up.

Posted by Red_Hugh from Ann Arbor on 04/11/09 at 03:44 AM ET

legal hit… all this shows is that the nhl needs to start regulating equipment so that its not made like armor anymore.

Posted by bcrt on 04/11/09 at 03:55 AM ET

I was at the game, saw the replay over and over, and it made me angry. I have always thought TooToo is a dirty player- he takes cheap shots on other players ALL THE TIME. And when the crowd booed him, he proved just how unclassy he truly is- he was raising his hands up and trying to get us to boo louder. I have never, ever been to a game where an opponent was hated so much- the entire arena of 18,000 was chanting TooToo sucks- now that was awesome! God I wish the BoogieMan was in last night- he would have put TooToo’s pansy ass in place!

Posted by BurnsyRocks on 04/11/09 at 07:15 AM ET

I am no fan of Tootoo but that hit was clean by the rules. The only thing I think Tootoo might have done (considering how vulnerable a position Fritsche was in) was let up a little on the hit. But guys like Tootoo play full throttle all the time, he’s not gonna let up no matter what angle he has (the guy doesn’t forry much if your back is turned, he’ll smoke you anyway).

How can the NHL change the rules in regard to hits to the head? I think the one thing the NHL should do is enforce full mask rules. That would help keep players from being injured as badly. But we all know the players would never go for that, unfortunately.

Posted by flames fan on 04/11/09 at 08:02 AM ET

All hits to the head should be against the rules.  If the NFL can ban them, why can’t the NHL?  Yes, it was clean and Fritsche should have had his head up, etc.  All of you people understand and accept the idea that players are responsible for their sticks; if they hit another player in the upper body with a high stick, no matter how accidental, it is a penalty.  And you know what, the players for the most part have adapted to this and manage their sticks better.

Someone is going to be permanently brain-injured on the ice or maybe worse.  And all of you are going to say the hit was clean and he should have had his head up.

Posted by BK on 04/11/09 at 08:29 AM ET

BK said it best.

Posted by bct737 on 04/12/09 at 09:37 AM ET

I watched this game and also viewed the link above. Nice elbow shot. Watch the slow mo part. Tootoo leads with the shoulder and follows through with the elbow. Clean hit? Please. Go check Tootoo’s stats. The guy is a cheap shot dirt merchant, but the NHL seems to let guys like this get away with this sort of crap.

Posted by ob_one from Minnesota on 04/29/09 at 11:23 PM ET