He’s getting suspended at least 2 games because of being a repeat offender and pulling the same crap. it will be criminal if he’s not suspended.

Posted by FlyersFan on 11/25/09 at 09:58 PM ET

He Won’t!!!!!!!  He does this ALL THE ****** Time

Monkey Boy

Posted by Evilpens on 11/25/09 at 10:02 PM ET

So wait…

Ovechkin was assessed a penalty because he drilled the guy diagonally and it caused him to ram his face into the glass and cut himself on his own visor?

I watched this and watched it over.  He did not strike high, nor did he strike Kaleta’s head.  Nor did he hit him from behind in the numbers.  The puck was right there, so it wasn’t awya form the play.  Aside from the fact Kaleta got hurt on it, it was as far as I can see a perfectly legal hit.

Quite frankly, if Kaleta wasn’t wearing a visor he probably wouldn’t have hurt his face at all, but he was.

Posted by Primis on 11/25/09 at 10:17 PM ET

Doesn’t matter. The league will look the other way, like it always does for Ovechkin. He’s going to kill somebody at some point because the league is too scared to do anything to him.

Posted by cs6687 on 11/25/09 at 10:23 PM ET

How is this a penalty?  For playing hockey and checking someone?  What a joke.

Posted by EssBee on 11/25/09 at 10:30 PM ET

forgot to look at the flow chart, he wont get suspended. my bad.

Posted by FlyersFan on 11/25/09 at 10:34 PM ET

I had to consult the rule book so I understood the actual definition of boarding:

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

b. When a major penalty is imposed under this Rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct shall be imposed.

So even though I agree with Primis in that OV hit him on the shoulder, not on the numbers, the rule book doesn’t specify where the player actually gets hit…. The fact that he was hit into the boards and suffered an injury to the face was the cause of the penalty…

So IMO, it’s the right call….

Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 11/25/09 at 10:49 PM ET

Im happy Kaleta got some of his own medicine. That piece of crap throws dirty hits all the time and its about time he gets leveled and bleeds. After his hit on Mara breaking a bone in his face and putting him out for a long time and then after Mara comes back kaleta threw the same type of hit on him. I personally applaud Ovechkin for the hit on that douchebag, although it was a hit that he is going to be suspended for

Posted by Scott on 11/25/09 at 11:23 PM ET

Direction and contact were all OK on this hit. But Kaleta had his head down and back fishing for the puck along the boards. And we’re back to that respect thing.

At some point, AO (or any other player in a similar situation) has to identify this and back off on the hit. He saw what the guy was doing. He knows its a vulnerable position. Give the guy a warning you’re coming and back off on the hit. Lots of time to process all that.

Suspension worthy? Eh, I dunno about that, but I’m not familiar with his repeat offender status and the severity of the past incidents. However, I am very satisfied with the penalty called on the ice. Start handing em out this way more frequently and there will be less need for secondary discipline.

Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 11/25/09 at 11:34 PM ET

oh, you mean the rulebook says automatic game?  hmmm…too bad he doesn’t play for Pittsburgh.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 11/26/09 at 12:05 AM ET

Terrible call.  Not like he instigated a fight with a non-fighter at the end of a playoff game.

Posted by Heaton on 11/26/09 at 12:07 AM ET

agreed that this was a terrible call. if he gets further suspension it’s a joke. even the way the rule is written is a joke. basically - “boarding is any hit the ref decides he wants to be boarding”

in reality, the rule is played as “hitting from behind”

he didn’t. and he didn’t hit him in the head. unfortunate timing, sucks he got hurt, and i could even see giving a two minute penalty as a way of calming a potential storm. but that was absolutely not a game misconduct.

Posted by perfection from LaLaLand on 11/26/09 at 01:14 AM ET

i agree with primis on this one.

this is a total bush call. Ovechkin hits him as much in the “SIDE” as he does his “BACK” (if at all. his point of impact is all into mostly his shoulder side). its because the dudes face ate crap and he started bleeding that the refs called this. total bullcrap. if “DIAGONAL” hits are going to be called ejections now there should be about 2 every single game.

the NHL is walking on eggshells for any little hint of violence and its making the league extremely lame. especially when Kaleta will have about 10 fold as many cheap shots on guys for the duration of the season.

Posted by Death Metal Nightmare from MKE on 11/26/09 at 02:00 AM ET

oh, you mean the rulebook says automatic game?  hmmm…too bad he doesn’t play for Pittsburgh.

Terrible call.  Not like he instigated a fight with a non-fighter at the end of a playoff game.

I guess the league wants the Hurricanes to win too since they rescinded Scott Walker’s auto suspension as well last year. And Brendan Morrow in 2008. Hasn’t Colton Orr had like 2 automatic suspensions rescinded in the last couple seasons?

Wings fans act like Malkin is the only player to ever have a suspension rescinded. Get over it, you lost, move on with life.

Posted by Kstewy16 on 11/26/09 at 02:20 AM ET

Glad to see I’m not the only one drinking tonight, Paul, Lastrovia!

Posted by Hippy Dave from Portland by way of Detroit on 11/26/09 at 03:54 AM ET

@kstewy, the wing fans have nothing better to do, its ok. Their team just got shutout by the thrashers, who the Pens just beat. And the soup kitchens havent opened yet for free thanksgiving dinners. I feel bad for them.

Posted by pensfan29 on 11/26/09 at 10:07 AM ET

pensfan29, the problem with your comment is the majority of the comments in this post are not coming from Wings fans.

Please don’t try to stir thing up, especially on Thanksgiving.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 11/26/09 at 10:10 AM ET

And the soup kitchens havent opened yet for free thanksgiving dinners. I feel bad for them.

Try going hungry sometime yourself, jackass - it’s nothing to laugh about.  Although that kind of insentive comment no longer surprises me.  It’s become typical.

.
.
Star or not, the league doesn’t like to suspend anyone - even someone who is a comparative nonentity is more likely than not to get the benefit of the doubt.  The NHL reminds me of parents who threaten to count to five, but keep stopping at three, warning the kid yet again, and then starting to count from one all over.  If they just stall long enough, the bad behaviour will stop and they won’t have to do anything more strenuous than look busy.  It’s easier that way.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/26/09 at 10:13 AM ET

Paul, my comments are for the couple of Wing fans that took a post about Ovechkin and directed it to the Pens. i e Paulinmiamibeach and Heaton. They seem to like stirring things up.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Posted by pensfan29 on 11/26/09 at 10:34 AM ET

As Tony pointed out, based on the actual wording of the “boarding” rule, the ref had every right to make the call he did. But Kaleta put himself in that position (head down, checking his skate laces) and, as Primas pointed out, he more than likely was cut by his own visor, not the boards or the glass.

Ovechkin got the max that the league should access…5 minutes and a game misconduct. Nothing that he did points to a “dirty play” that deserves a suspension. But Colin Campbell has proven he has no clue what to do when it comes to dealing with suspensions (like Laroque’s knee-on-knee hit on Kronwall), so anything could happen. No suspension. Ten games. Who knows.

And pensfan29? I hope you choke on your home-cooked turkey this year.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 11/26/09 at 11:21 AM ET

That was a 2 minute penalty, tops. Kaleta saw it coming, it was on his shoulder, Ovechkin glided in and did not “run” him. Basically he was sent off for being fast, and a beast. And any Penguins here talking about “favoritism” is a total asshat.

Posted by Ben from Ann Arbor on 11/26/09 at 11:26 AM ET

Way to be classy pensfan.  Joking about people going hungry on Thanksgiving, real nice.  Yeah some Wings fans were talking about the Pens, but at least it was hockey oriented, not classless bullsh*t like you spewed.  How you people seem to find unemployment and homelessness funny is beyond me.  Grow up.

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 11/26/09 at 11:31 AM ET

Ovechkin got a game misconduct and second star of the night.

Posted by Suspension? Nah. on 11/26/09 at 01:19 PM ET