On Finishing Checks Post Ovechkin/Campbell

As for the

Look at the force with which he heaves a player from behind into the end boards

part of Mirtle’s quote I used, the boards rattled quite loudly when Morrisonn was hit. I have no doubt if Morrisonn had changed direction at the last second, or if he had hit a rut as many suspect Campbell did, the force with which Morrisonn would have hit the boards would have been similar or worse.

And yes, I know that’s a lot of ifs,

SG, thanks for posting this. I think it’s obvious that hits like this happen all the time in hockey. It is ridiculous to single out Ovechkin just because of his strength when he does it.

It’s unfortunate that Campbell was injured, but this is ice hockey – not ice dancing.

I did point this Mirtle’s way by the way.

Stellar use of a FanPost, SG. Rec’d.

I wrote down the details last night when I saw it…glad you did the work on this! Great job.

I wrote this long piece in the Clips this morning about the Ovi situation and I do think part of it is Ovi’s strength, but not quite in the way people perceive it. I believe that part of the problem is that Ovi is redefining the boundaries of how a hockey player can and should play the sport. He has a blend of speed, physicality, and playmaking finesse not really seen before.

On PreCaps Stretch made what I thought was a thought provoking comparison to the first time a basketball was dunked: how to refs handle it; is it a penalty or not? And the way the game of basketball was played was forever changed. IMO Ovi is having this kind of effect on hockey. But how do ruling bodies deal with players who are ahead of a sport in the way they play and in the way they are built? They don’t—at least not well. And I don’t think Campbell knows how to handle Ovi.

We are all coming up with similar hits/pushes/checks of this type happening in so many different games by all the teams, but most do not result in this kind of injury, penalty, or suspension. Or as Knuble said—this stuff is happening around Ovi.

For me it’s not where, how, and when the the push/hit/check was made by Ovi, but rather that a push/hit/check by most players does not have the same impact as one by Ovi. He is a wall, a beast, a force of nature. Eastern conference players, they know him and know that when he is on the ice bearing down on you when you have the puck be aware. But Western conference players know him more by reputation. So when a player of Brian Campbell’s elite skating and puck handling skills knows that this MVP player is bearing down on him, he decides to play the puck by reversing it instead of carrying it safely around the net. He doesn’t realize that a push/hit/check by Ovi is not like one by another player. Add in the other situational oddities and he is unfortunately hurt. I am not blaming Brain Campbell or Ovi, but rather I am trying to understand how such a weird situation can happen. A regular hockey play that turned into something that hurt another elite player without any intent or malice behind it.

However, I do believe that the key word for Ovi is not to “change” his game but rather to “calibrate” it. I do absolutely believe that an athlete of Ovi’s genius will be able to adjust his play to stay on that edge so that he will continue to bring to the game his hybrid of improvisational playmaking brilliance, brute physicality, and sheer will to score and win. Ovi will have to learn how to choose those moments better, to take into account players who don’t know his game first-hand or to be aware of potential situational ramifications. We all learn from experience and I have no doubt so too will Ovi.

By the time the Caps get the SC Finals, i expect Ovi to have already figured how to “calibrate” his game without changing a thing about what makes it so special.

I wrote my comment very specifically for a reason as it weeds out minor plays like the one you’re highlighting above. If you skate with a player to the end boards and push him against the glass, injury is very unlikely to occur. Morrisonn, in that position, should know the hit is coming and be able to defend himself somewhat by bracing, against the boards, for impact.

The rule is written to allow for that, and officials have some leeway when it comes to these nuances.

Note the phrasing in what I said: “Look at the force with which [Ovechkin] heaves a player from behind into the end boards… that’s not a common occurrence.”

That spot at the goal line where Campbell got pushed is incredibly dangerous — a push from behind in that spot that knocks a player over will generally result in his head and neck taking the brunt of the fall. It often results in injury, and sometimes in paralysis (as unfortunately we see too often in Canadian minor hockey).

The force also matters. A violent push from behind, especially when skating toward the end boards, should always be penalized.

I agree with the call from officials on the ice, and I’m glad it was made. It was an unfortunate, dangerous play, and when those involve hitting from behind, I want the player kicked out of the game.

(As for the suspension, I think I’ve given up trying to make sense of their reasoning.)

Oh, and welcome to all of James’s Twitter minions – glad you could join us and make him feel more comfortable here.

How do you have a conversation when those who seem to have already made up their minds about Ovechkin used charged verbs like “rammed,” “slammed,” or “heaved?”

I use more force “heaving” a bag of groceries into the back of my truck. Unless we’re going to use “hockey physics” and discount the momentum a player such as Campbell was contributing by skating in that direction in the first place.

Bingo. If violent, forceful words are used to describe an act that is what people will see. Call it a bump, jostle, or a nudge and we’d be having a very different conversation.