Paybacks are a…

Posted by Primis from Michigan on 01/25/08 at 09:42 AM ET

i know people who arent big downie fans and where hoping for an injury but you have to admit he is tough as nails for coming back into the game and fighting a penguin in third period. This kid is the real deal and becoming one of the most exciting players to watch in the NHL right now.

I do admit that downie put himself in that position and he acknowledge it after the game. Laraque was stupid for clearly knew what he was doing by “pushing him”.

he should get atleast a 5 game suspension for being stupid.

you cant draw comparisions btw this hit and the Bergeron hit.

In the Bergeron hit, he skated right in front of Jones, and they were so close to the boards and going fast to the point where nothing could be done.

In the downie hit,For one, Laraque actually had to REACH DOWN to hit him from behind. There was a lot more room, and a lot less speed factoring into this hit. It’s a little like what Hartnell got suspended for. Not quite on the same scale, but to the point where, he could have just not come into contact with the player.

i would be intersting if the nhl will apply the same standards in this situation it applies to the flyers.

Posted by FlyersFan on 01/25/08 at 09:44 AM ET

Gee, not like he didn’t have this coming. If you’re going to play as dirty as Downie has in his very short career, guys are going to start trying to hurt you.

Laraque should be suspended, I’m not excusing that. Just saying that maybe now Downie will be a little more responsible for his actions… probably not though.

Posted by Nathan on 01/25/08 at 10:03 AM ET

Gee, not like he didn’t have this coming. If you’re going to play as dirty as Downie has in his very short career, guys are going to start trying to hurt you.

Laraque should be suspended, I’m not excusing that. Just saying that maybe now Downie will be a little more responsible for his actions… probably not though.

this what people dont understand, players on flyers roster have embrace him and try help this kid out. holmgren has been working with personally since he has join the flyers. this something the media in canada and on internet have missed.

he’s an agressive player and he said he isnt going to change it.

Posted by FlyersFan on 01/25/08 at 10:09 AM ET

from Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer,

Laraque should and likely will be suspended by the league, but there is a bigger problem that only the players can solve. This lack of respect for each other should disturb every player in the game.

You know things are bad when fans analyze cheap hits and speculate on what the suspension will be. Instead of discussing the goaltending situation or chatting about possible trades, fans try to guess how many games that night’s dirty hit will warrant.

With the epidemic of concussions and the very real possibility of spinal injuries, this is beyond idiotic. And it makes you feel a little sick about loving the sport.

more

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 01/25/08 at 10:17 AM ET

Laraque’s hit, unlike Kovalchuk, was a clean hit.  However the circumstances of the situation, downie facing the boards, and going down low, made the hit that much worse. The only thing is that Laraque will get more than Kovalchuk, because of who he is. 
oh well…

Posted by bsalamon on 01/25/08 at 10:21 AM ET

“If I want to hit somebody from behind,” Laraque said, “he’s not going to get up.”

He is absolutely correct there.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/25/08 at 10:40 AM ET

Laraque’s hit, unlike Kovalchuk, was a clean hit.  However the circumstances of the situation, downie facing the boards, and going down low, made the hit that much worse. The only thing is that Laraque will get more than Kovalchuk, because of who he is. 
oh well…
Posted by bsalamon on 01/25 at 09:21 AM

I agree. It looks to me like Laraque actually held back, giving Downie a tap when he could have hit him a lot harder. Like you said, though, Laraque will probably get a longer suspension than Kovalchuk.

I find it pretty funny (in a sad way) that Holmgren is so up in arms now. (Especially considering this hit was a lot more mild that the ones made by his boys on vulnerable players.) Hasn’t he ever heard the old saying “You reap what you sew?”

Anyway, although I don’t like Downie, I’m glad he wasn’t seriously injured.

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 01/25/08 at 11:01 AM ET

This may sound crazy, but my immediate reaction while watching the game was that Downie purposely exaggerated the hit and dove into the boards.  One particular angle especially shows this.  I never saw Laraque extend his arms, and would tend to agree that if Laraque wanted to bury him, it would have been far worse. Its a slightly insane thing to do, but Downie doesn’t appear to be all that same to begin with.

Posted by dip from philly on 01/25/08 at 11:51 AM ET

I find it pretty funny (in a sad way) that Holmgren is so up in arms now. (Especially considering this hit was a lot more mild that the ones made by his boys on vulnerable players.) Hasn’t he ever heard the old saying “You reap what you sew?”

wouldnt you be all up in arms if that happen to poor zetterberg? As for holmgren, flyers were mocking the people who usually have an outraged when a flyers does something on ice.

Anyway, although I don’t like Downie, I’m glad he wasn’t seriously injured

you would loved him if he was on your team.

This may sound crazy, but my immediate reaction while watching the game was that Downie purposely exaggerated the hit and dove into the boards.  One particular angle especially shows this.  I never saw Laraque extend his arms, and would tend to agree that if Laraque wanted to bury him, it would have been far worse. Its a slightly insane thing to do, but Downie doesn’t appear to be all that same to begin with.

dude, you dont know what you are talking about. i was sitting in the section where it happened.

Posted by FlyersFan on 01/25/08 at 01:29 PM ET

FlyersFan -

First, it’s great if the Flyers organization is “working with Downie"… whatever that means. I would never suggest any player stop being aggressive or physical, but we’re talking about a guy that’s barely set foot on NHL ice and he’s already committed a small handful of questionable (or just plain wrong) acts on the ice.

Secondly, don’t even begin to compare Downie and Zetterberg. Downie will never be that good of a player, and Zetterberg will likely finish his entire career having never laid a single questionable hit on someone, let alone a pair of unquestionably dirty plays on different players. With that said, if this happened to Zetterberg, we would be up in arms because he wouldn’t have ever done anything to warrant it. Downie has been a punk to everyone outside of the Flyers organization since he played his first game of the preseason, and guys don’t like him.

Third, I’m sure we’d love him if he were on our teams, but he isn’t, so that’s of no consequence. He’s still got an NHL rap sheet longer than most players in the league put together and he’s only played a couple dozen games. Regardless of what team he’s on, he’s a dirty player. Put a Red Wings or Pens jersey on him in your mind’s eye and tell me if you think he’s a dirty player now.

Fourth, I actually agree with you about one thing. This shouldn’t be about absolving Laraque of guilt. The hit may not have been crunching, but the fact of the matter was that he did, even if lightly, push a guy from behind that was a few feet from the boards skating full speed in to win the race to the puck. It’s an unnecessary, dangerous hit to make when you can just as easily hold up a half second until he’s at the boards and plaster him legally up against the glass.

Lastly, I’m not saying he’s going to be a dirty player his entire career. But it’s up to him to turn things around. Because the next season or so, even if he starts showing a little more respect for his peers, guys are going to take shots at him out of revenge, dislike, and preemptive protection. So, he’s got a hard road where he’s got to fight hard, play tough, but keep it clean even when guys are pissing him off big time on the ice. If he matures a little bit, I’m sure things will end up just fine. That’s a lot to ask of a 20 year old though, so we’ll see what happens. If I were Holmgren I’d mandate that he works with a sports psychologist and is held to a higher standard in practices as a punishment for his discipline issues.

Posted by Nathan on 01/25/08 at 02:26 PM ET

wouldnt you be all up in arms if that happen to poor zetterberg?

Nope. Not if the situation was identical. Plus, “poor Zetterberg” gets run all the time by cheap shot artists around the league.

As for holmgren, flyers were mocking the people who usually have an outraged when a flyers does something on ice.

It would be pretty stupid for Holmgren and/or the Flyers to be “mocking” anyone about this type of situation.

you would loved him if he was on your team.

Wrong again. There are certain players I just don’t like, even if they play for my team. Two cases in point: I was not happy to see Derian Hatcher or Todd Bertuzzi suit up for the Wings; and was not at all unhappy to see them leave.

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 01/25/08 at 02:35 PM ET

Hey Dip from Philly,

I think it was a dive as well.  Players like Downie, Tucker, Avery do it all the time.  I said as much on my blog and I have been defending myself all day over it.  My opinion hasn’t changed and won’t.

Posted by penaltyshots.ca on 01/25/08 at 03:39 PM ET

YZ: amen

Downie should be penalized for pulling up short and turning his back to the play like a minnow on a fishing hook.  Players who have been taught the game properly would never have played it like that.

Laraque is a legitimate (and honorable) NHL’er.

Baroques comment was right on.

Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 01/25/08 at 04:54 PM ET

Penalty Shots,
Thanks.  Like I said, it was my first reaction.  In some views, it doesn’t look like the case, but the real time game angle looked that way.  On further review, to me, the speed at which he “fell” forward does not seem commensurate with the push. Maybe FlyersFan had a great view at the game, but in my experience having grown up and played hockey in philly for most of my 40 years, someone that calls themselves FlyersFan is not exactly impartial. 
A few minutes before this play, I thought Downie had knocked himself out trying to run someone behind the Pen’s net.  He barely missed both Conklin and the Pen’s skater (can’t recall who) and it looked like he slammed his head up against the glass.
Lastly, the look on Laraque’s face afterward was like someone that knew he had just been played.

Posted by dip from philly on 01/25/08 at 06:55 PM ET

That’s ridiculous.

1) Downie should never put himself in that position, especially with a HUGE DUDE like Laraque bearing down on you.

2) Laraque never does ‘hit’ him, he barely touched him.

3) It doesn’t matter if you like Downie or feel he ‘deserved’ to be hurt or whatever, that’s irrelevant.

Boy this game is getting lame if we need to even talk about this crap. This isn’t some primadonna sport like Soccer or Baseball. It’s hockey.

Posted by Ryan from BC on 01/25/08 at 07:36 PM ET

It looked like a dive to me. The only thing making me think it couldn’t be is that it was such a dangerous dive.

It wasn’t a check, it was a push on the back. Then again, maybe BGL is just that strong.

Posted by false_cause from DC on 01/25/08 at 09:00 PM ET

Flyers fans are the best. they pretty much yelled it right out to Laraque.
ASS HOLE ASS HOLE ASS HOLE!

Posted by Flyers Fan from pa on 01/26/08 at 12:58 AM ET