Patrik Kalera runs around like this every game and rarely pays for it.

He is turning into Steve Webb

Posted by Curtis Tudor on 10/09/09 at 10:33 AM ET

If you want to reduce head injuries, you suspend him. He didn’t need to launch into his head to lay a brutal hit. If he’d stayed low, Prucha still gets smashed.

Posted by false_cause from DC on 10/09/09 at 10:43 AM ET

Prucha will likely remember to keep his head up.

Good hit.  No penalty, no need for a suspension

Posted by LetsGoOilers on 10/09/09 at 10:48 AM ET

For all those “suspend him” comments what this video fails to show is about 30 seconds prior to the hit, Prucha hitting Kaleta IN THE FACE WITH HIS STICK while Kaleta was down on the ice.

Don’t feel sorry for the schmuck, Prucha should be getting a suspension as well.

Posted by Ben from Buffalo, NY on 10/09/09 at 11:02 AM ET

This looks exactly like the Kronwall hit on Havlat in the playoffs last year. Prucha didn’t quite have the puck but it was there, on impact Kaleta is lifted into the air. I say it’s a clean hit. Kronwall got a game for it in the playoffs, however Kaleta isn’t a Red Wing so there will be no suspension.

Posted by Yotes from PHX on 10/09/09 at 11:04 AM ET

That’s a tough call. Was definitely an upward thrust, but its tough to tell if the feet came up before or after the hit. Penalize hits to the head and the feet leaving the ice are irrelevant. I’m in favor of that.

Strange part is, it looked like Prucha saw him coming.

Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 10/09/09 at 11:16 AM ET

I agree that it looks very similar to the Kronwall hit on Havlat.  He didn’t jump into the contact so much as he exploded upward upon contact.  You could argue that he made three strides on the way toward hitting Kaleta, but the puck was right there so he was trying to play it. 

I have trouble saying he deserves further punishment for this, but this is one of the cases where I’m ok with a teammate immediately jumping into a fight with the guy.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 10/09/09 at 11:32 AM ET

Nice hit. I think he drew 5 2 minute penalties the whole game. I can dig it.

Posted by bvllets from Brooklyn, NY on 10/09/09 at 11:33 AM ET

As others have said, it’s tough to tell if he left his feet before hitting him or as a function of the contact.  It would be hard to say it was a head shot since he kept his elbow and stick down, and didn’t throw a shoulder, either, so he hit him full on but with his torso.  Big hit, but if you pause the video at 1:01 it’s clear that it’s torso on torso, so doesn’t seem dirty to me.

Posted by Dan from Pittsburgh, PA on 10/09/09 at 11:42 AM ET

It was head hunting no doubt. Should be a penalty for the upward lunge. Not quite suspendable, but wouldn’t be a bad message to send that high hits won’t be tolerated. He could have controlled the hit and instead chose to go high.

Posted by donkey on 10/09/09 at 12:17 PM ET

My first thought was, and I hate to say it because I’ve taken a shining to that poor team, but… Kronwall’s done it before, and I’ve applauded him for it, so it would be more than a little hypocritical for me to say Kaleta should be suspended. That said, Martin Hanzal did absolutely the right thing in going after somebody afterward (and winning the fight, in my opinion).

Posted by Bio on 10/09/09 at 12:18 PM ET

definitely left his feet.  should get 5-10 games

Posted by bsalamon on 10/09/09 at 02:56 PM ET

I don’t think he left his feet, but he definitely brought his elbow up immediately after the hit. I don’t think it was a natural motion either, but it makes sense that Prucha hit him with his stick, Kaleta was probably just trying to get some revenge in. He did do a good job not leaving his feet (see Steve Downie for leaving your feet) but the league should take a look at the elbow.

Posted by Wild Wing from Orange County, CA on 10/09/09 at 03:13 PM ET

That’s hockey.

Posted by Lindas1st from New England on 10/09/09 at 07:04 PM ET

To me it looked like he leaped a little bit after he had already knocked into Prucha but it didn’t seem to seriously injure him and he was able to easily skate back to the bench. He prolly just had the bajesus knocked out of him and needed a minute to get collected and wobble off the ice.

Thats hockey folks, you pester and loosen each other’s teeth for the sake of 2 points, thats why its so fun

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

Ben,

So what if Kaleta took a stick to the face that was unseen by the referees?  It does not make an illegal hit legal.  Kaleta left his feet before the hit, he should get at least 5 games. 

However, Colin Campbell has repeated proven that he has no respect for, or desire to protect the players who are at the mercy of thugs such as Kaleta.  The NHL needs to get serious about protecting from head shots, legal or illegal.

Posted by Campbell Is a Joke on 10/11/09 at 10:04 AM ET

This is the same type of hit that Steve Moore put on Markus Naslund that led to the Bertuzzi incident.  The league won’t do anything about it until Kaleta gets hurt and then he will be the victim.  To me, this is another example of why the NHL needs to do away with the instigator rule and let the players patrol the ice again.

Posted by Gumby from the city with more ruins than Rome on 10/11/09 at 02:03 PM ET