Whether Hudler had been “agitating” him or not, why is a guy who’s 6’2” or 6’3” leaving his feet to hit a guy who’s 5’9” on his tip-toes? Phaneuf better keep his own head up in the future, or he’ll get smoked by Downey, Drake, or Cleary (like in the playoofs last season).

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 11/28/07 at 09:09 AM ET

Agreed.  I have no problem with a big hit on a guy with his head down, but leaving his feet?  Come on.....

Posted by w2j2 on 11/28/07 at 09:28 AM ET

Gutless play by Phaneuf.  I wouldn’t had had a problem with the hit if he hadn’t felt the need to leave his feet.  That’s Chris Pronger-ish in terms of dirty play.

I’ve rode Lilja’s case for months until he play straightened out, but serious kudos to him for going after Phaneuf for the hit, and the subsequent fight.  He’s winning me back over again.

Dion was very lucky Babcock didn’t send Downey out later to TCOB.  Not many teams are classy enough to not retaliate in fashion.

Posted by Primis from Michigan on 11/28/07 at 10:26 AM ET

I thought the Versus commentators made a great point last night, namely that there’s no need to try to send a guy to the hospital just to send him a “message.” Phaneuf went out of his way to level Hudler because Happy was pestering him. Awwww, poor baby.

What I loved even more than Lilja’s ballet with “The One With the Scary Face” was the way Happy seemed to handle it all so calmly. And then he later comes back out and sets up Flip for the put-away goal.

I love this little guy more every game. He’s got great hands, top-line passing ability and a hard shot...and he never backs down from a confrontation.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 11/28/07 at 11:08 AM ET

Wow, all this whining from Wings fans, you’d think that it was playoff time.

Stop admiring your passes, Hudler, and you won’t get caught in the trolley tracks.  You play with the bull, you get the horn.  As for sending out Downey to take care of Phaneuf, lol, Dion would destroy him much like Regehr did when Downey was with the Habs.

Posted by Hudler got Phaneufed from Calgary on 11/28/07 at 11:20 AM ET

Are any of you even watching the video?  Now, I’m a Pens fan, so I couldn’t care less about either team save the fact that Phaneuf is on my fantasy team.  If you watch the video carefully, he leans in and stretches to check like you are supposed to, but his feet don’t leave the ice until AFTER contact is made.  It was a clean monster hit and you’d be singing a different tune if the jerseys were switched.

Posted by Chaz from Pittsburgh on 11/28/07 at 11:52 AM ET

I agree Chaz.  Hudler should have known, DP was after him all night.  As many hockey analysts say, you better be aware of certain players on the ice.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 11/28/07 at 11:54 AM ET

I don’t think Phaneuf left his feet, either.  If he did, he would have sailed right over Hudler’s head.

I just think it’s funny that such a big guy finally got annoyed enough with Hudler that he went out of his way to swat the gnat when he could have just ignored him.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/28/07 at 11:59 AM ET

Fummy, EJ Hradek just mentioned the talk he has heard is Dion is “"full of himself”.  Some Flames players have tried to talk to him about it, but it isn’t getting through to him.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 11/28/07 at 12:21 PM ET

I saw the game on Versus last night.  Personally I thought it was a clean hit—Whoodler certainly didnt help matters skating through center ice with his head down.  Wonder what Redmond had to say about the hit??  Despite the clean hit, I was damn glad to see Lilja stand-up for the team.  I’d a put Downey in too though—the Wings were getting hammered all night—they need Downey to play more in those games—just to keep the opposition honest.

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 11/28/07 at 12:30 PM ET

I’m a Wings fan and I though it was a clean check.  I don’t think Phaneuf left his feet until AFTER he checked Hudler.  If no one’s been paying any attention in the last five years, hello????  Phaneuf was always a big open-ice hitter.  While that makes for a great highlight video, he has repeatedly blown assignments defensively.

I’d love Phaneuf to be in a Wings sweater because of his physical play - which is sorely needed on the Wings backline.  Don’t get me wrong...we have a terrific corps of defensemen but come on, which one of our Wings defensemen actually scares the crap outta opposing forwards crashing the Wings net?  Chelios?  Lilja?  Gimmeabreak…

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 11/28/07 at 01:11 PM ET

And then he later comes back out and sets up Flip for the put-away goal.

And who got beat on Hudler’s pass???  None other than DP himself. 

Posted by BobTheZee on 11/28/07 at 01:58 PM ET

Great, legal hit.  Wings fans need to quit their bitching and Hudler needs to quit watching his patches.

Posted by NHLJeff from Boston, MA on 11/28/07 at 02:58 PM ET

I thought that the problem with the hit wasn’t necessarily with the leaving of the feet per se, but the general tendency that Phaneuf’s hit displayed in that he tried to power his shoulder through the check, which is why he ended up leaving his feet--because he was aiming that high. 

Huds got caught with his head down, he bounced back up, and he was his fearless self as always.  I was glad that he didn’t get hurt, and yeah, as a Wings fan, I didn’t like the hit, but I don’t like seeing NHL players attempt to check a target that’s six feet off the ground, and I think that’s far too common.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 11/29/07 at 04:43 AM ET

To all the fans complaining about the “whining”:

Was Phaneuf’s hit “legal”?  Yes.  Noone’s disputing that technicality or saying he should be suspended or anything.

It WAS dirty and unnecessary, in a game that was already well decided.  Phaneuf went needlessly-high on the check.  Phaneuf coudl have simply bent over and plowed Jiri that way, and it’s likely that nobody on either side would be complaining.  Should Hudler have had his head up?  Yeah.  That doesn’t still make it ok or necessary.

And let’s face it—Phaneuf already has a rep, and an attitude to go with it.

And he WILL get his comeuppance.

Posted by Primis from Michigan on 11/29/07 at 08:27 AM ET