The other part of this that I don’t want any part of is the whole frontier justice mentality.

Completely agree, David.  If it were cheap like the Lemieux hit-from-behind that broke Draper’s face or the Roenick hit on Modano, then retribution is expected.  There’s just no place for crap like that in a game where players knowingly play at a pace where speed kills.

There was a small bit of Weight’s reaction where he was on the bench with what looked like to me true genuine concern for Sutter.

As you said, that play could’ve been played differently in any number of ways.  Weight chose to play the body and he did it fair.  I remember Konstantinov laying out Dale Hawerchuk with a big open-ice hit and that was also a fair hit.  The Flyers knew it and although, Konstantinov got diced a couple of times, there was no overt attempt to seriously injure him because of a big but truly fair hit.

Get well soon, Brandon.  Get well soon.

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 10/26/08 at 02:15 PM ET

Where is your line, David, for those who are deserving of “frontier justice” and those who are not? Any player on the Flyers or Sean Avery? Some haven’t let go of Orpik, but you can hold on to those players? While I don’t think someone needed to go after Weight, I think the idea that some are more deserving of having revenge served upon them than others is a more disturbing thought process than “everyone has to stand up for their actions.” That’s the kind of mentality that leads to serious confrontations and injuries.

If you read my comments over at Canes Country, you’ll see I agree that Weight didn’t intend to hurt Sutter. I just think you miss the mark totally with your comments on retribution. You can’t pick and choose — you have to be either totally for or against any of this stuff.

Posted by Cory Lavalette from Raleigh, N.C. on 10/26/08 at 03:59 PM ET

clean hit, keep your head up

Posted by callmedrw from detroit,mi on 10/26/08 at 04:01 PM ET

Cory, all I meant by bringing “the Flyers” or “Sean Avery” into this was that Doug Weight isn’t the type of player who tries to hurt other players.  There’s no need to go after him.  It was simply a bad play.

Sean Avery has been a classless character for years.  If he hurts someone on a play like that, it’s probably on purpose.  Avery runs his mouth all the time for no purpose other than to get people riled up.  Weight doesn’t do any of that stuff. 

I’ve never been a fan of frontier justice, and I certainly don’t think it would have been appropriate in this case.  I think it has to be evaluated in context.  A good guy made a bad play.  There’s no point in beating the tar out of him for it.

Posted by David Lee from Greensboro, NC on 10/26/08 at 04:33 PM ET

was it really a bad play?  i thought it was a great hit.  no one likes to see people get hit, but you seriously can’t skate with your head down and think that you aren’t going to get hit.

He’s just lucky is WAS doug weight and not someone tougher.

Posted by callmedrw from detroit, mi on 10/26/08 at 05:12 PM ET

Yeah, but my dog weighs more than Brandon.  He must be the lightest player in the league and a rookie to boot.  Given the same scenario with any player against Sutter, I believe the outcome would have been the same, possibly worse.

I still think that someone (from our team) should have at least gone up to Doug and say a thing or two.

Last I read, Pitkanen is having knee surgery for a meniscal issue on Monday and Brandon is coming back to Raleigh on Monday as well.....according to “anti-Luke”.

It is obvious to me that the league knows they can take liberties with us without repercussion.  That is a dangerous precedent.

Posted by AD on 10/26/08 at 06:20 PM ET

Thanks for a reasoned take on this issue. Commenters over on the N&O blog (present company excluded are going nuts.

One word sums the whole thing up: unfortunate. It’s hockey folks. Guys skate hard, slam into each other, sometimes people get hurt, and there’s not always malicious intent behind it. I think Weight *had* to go for the body in that situation, but he certainly wasn’t going for the head. You either hip check a guy or go shoulder-to-shoulder in that situation and Weight certainly wasn’t going to throw a hip check.

<fantasy_hockey>
If I were running the NHL, I’d instantiate a zero-tolerance policy on hits to the head. Every hit to the head would be a penalty, even if a guy put his head down. (And nobody’s stupid enough to try to *draw* that penalty. Well, maybe Ti Domi, but he’s out of the league.) Every penalty assessed would be reviewed. This particular case, in my NHL, would not warrant a suspension.
</fantasy_hockey>

Posted by caneshockeyfan on 10/26/08 at 08:39 PM ET

David,

I just think we need to be careful. We all know Avery’s rep, but one thing he hasn’t been is suspended. He’s got a few fines (once for diving, another time for criticizing Colie Campbell for fining him the first time, and then relating to the pregame nonsense — supposedly about Jason’s Blake cancer — with the Leafs back in November). The guy’s a creep, but he doesn’t have any intent to injure marks on his resume. But he’s the league’s Public Enemy No. 1, so it’s easy to think the guy has a past with this kind of stuff. The real multiple offenders are guys like Chris Pronger — just flat out nasty — and Ryan Hollweg — horribly careless.

Posted by Cory Lavalette from Raleigh, N.C. on 10/26/08 at 09:36 PM ET

When you look at hits like these, it is important you look at it at real speed.  At real speed you see Weight come in and hit him, it isn’t untill you see at at slow mode that you see his head is down, and that it was a hit to the head. When it is in slow mode it looks almost as if Weight tries to hit him in the head, but at real speed you see that Weight was already in mid hit when Sutter put his head down.  It was definitely a head shot, but who’s fault is it? I mean, what could Weight have done differently? It wasn’t a high hit, Sutter was just low, and when Weight went into the hit, Sutter wasn’t low, so you cannot blame this on Weight.

I absolutely agree you need to cut down on high hits, but things need to be looked at with some common sense. I’ve seen plenty of terrible hits, high hits, hits with the arms up, leaping into it, skating hard into it, and so on, and this was not one of them.

Posted by Kevin from Pittsburgh on 10/26/08 at 10:43 PM ET

well maybe i should play in the nhl.

If I can just keep looking at the puck with my head down than no one can hit me or they get suspended!!! COME ON!! 

this is crazy, wake up!!!!

some rooks get hit b/c they play dangerous (sutter).  I agree weight couldnt give up that hit, it was too perfect.

Posted by drw from detroit on 10/27/08 at 03:07 PM ET

You didn’t read what I said… IT IS OK TO HIT SOMEONE WITH THEIR HEAD DOWN, IT IS NOT OK TO HIT THEM IN THE HEAD.

Posted by Performance Shop CT on 10/27/08 at 07:59 PM ET