On the opening night of the NHL playoffs, there have already been a couple of fantastic games for fans to consume as NBC makes every game available nationally for the first time. You had the Philadelphia Flyers coming back from a 3-0 deficit to down the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime, and the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings put some extra sizzle into their Central Division rivalry by playing a physically-demanding game. The Preds ending up coming out on top 3-2, but it was an action at the end of the game that really grabbed people’s attention.
In the last five seconds of the game, there was a face-off in the Nashville end with Detroit trying to scramble to score the tying goal. After the face-off ended up in the corner, the puck ended up near Henrik Zetterberg and Shea Weber, and what happened next was not just surprising; it was downright appalling:
You have to skip to the later part of the video to really see what happened in slow motion, but what happened was pretty blatant: Weber attempted to slam Zetterberg into the boards once, and then when he was unsuccessful he grabbed the back of Henrik’s head and put him face-first into the wall. A penalty was called on the play despite the horn having gone off, and Zetterberg did leave the ice under his own power, but the reaction around the hockey punditverse was quick and severe.
Obviously, Red Wings fans were irate with the play, and even neutral observers were very surprised that Weber had gone all WWE on Zetterberg’s head. The real question now, especially with the playoffs having just gotten started, is whether or not head disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan will be willing to suspend Nashville’s captain for his actions.
There are a couple of key components that Shanahan is going to need to look at before issuing his decision on this one. The first component is that right before the play, Zetterberg put a pretty good cross-check into Weber’s back. It likely should have been a penalty, but it wasn’t called, and play continued on. It wasn’t the only hard shot that Weber and the Predators took over the course of the evening, so maybe it was just a combination of all of them that set Weber off.
The other key component that Shanahan will take into account will be the blatant “intent to injure” that Weber displayed. If he had just given Zetterberg a shot in the back with his stick into the boards, the result likely wouldn’t have been as bad. They were close enough to the boards that even with a full follow through Zetterberg likely would have just been slightly dazed, but unfortunately for Nashville and Weber, that’s not the way that he went about doing it.
The biggest issue there is that Weber tried once to put Z’s head into the glass, but then he grabbed him again, and with all of the intent in the world, slammed Henrik’s noggin into the glass like Hulk Hogan would have done to Sting if they were at the corner turnbuckle in a wrestling match. All of the frustration in the world can be coursing through your veins, but there is no way that Weber would be able to argue that there was anything other than ill-intent in what he did at the end of the game to Zetterberg.
Even with the excuse that he was fed up with being shoved around and had just taken a solid cross-check, Shanahan needs to send a message that this kind of negligent and stupid behavior will not be tolerated, and Weber needs to be suspended for three games. Yes, it’s the playoffs and there is a degree of leniency because of that, but when you have a player who theoretically could have broken another player’s neck with his foolish actions, you have to send a message, and Weber deserves to have the book thrown at him.
Hockey is an inherently violent game, and you are never going to make it to where no one will ever be injured on a hit or by a flying puck or in any other way. What you can do, and what Shanahan must do, is to say that a blatant disregard for another player’s safety is unacceptable, and to express that frustration in a way that isn’t within the confines of the game action itself cannot be tolerated.
Therefore, he needs to issue Weber a suspension that isn’t just a slap on the wrist, but rather a warning to everyone else in the league: even in the heat of the playoff cauldron, you have to be able to keep your emotions in check. If you are unable to do that, as Weber was unable to tonight, then you will pay a big price, and so will your team.
Dumb, cheap play by Weber. 1 game suspension is probably justified. It’s not nearly as bad as some people are making it out to be — one angle it looks bad, another angle it looks like he held up. Z also ran at Weber’s knee and cross checked him from behind. Comparing it to Bertuzzi’s incident though? C’mon.
The playoffs are not any fun to watch anymore too many bone headed calls and non calls the old days when you took a cheap shot at a star player you got your ass beat (players were afraid to take cheap shots then)now you can cheap shot anyone and just get a fine and and a couple of game suspensions Hockey sucks now and I love the game so sad……
Whatever ‘should’ be done isn’t your call. You’re a sportswriter, not an NHL official. Your opinion is just that, an opinion, and, as a sportswriter, counts for less than nothing.
Good point, because all sportswriters do is post box scores. They aren’t allowed to have opinions.
If it’s anything less than the remainder of the series (6 games), I’ll be surprised. Not quite shocked, because you never know with Shanahan, but surprised. Blatant intent, completely unnecessary at the point of the game since it was effectively over, not one but two shots at the head… the consequence has to major.
“Yes, it’s the playoffs and there is a degree of leniency because of that”
If the NHL is serious about preventing head injuries and bone headed moves like this one, then it needs to do away with the concept of leniency just because we are into the playoffs. If a player deliberately intends to injury another, then there needs to be real consequences and those consequences need to be consistently applied all of the time. I have always been a fan of Shanahan, but I will look at him as just another stuffed-suit NHL lackey if he goes soft on Weber here.
So why do you think Weber should only get 3 games when Bertuzzi got the remainder of the season for the hit on Steve Moore? Weber tried to basically punch Zetterberg in the back of the head. Thats as serious as it gets and could be life-changing. In my opinion, the fact that he missed him shouldn’t really matter.
And witness the reality check that Bertuzzi has had since!! Bertuzzi paid for his crime. Now its time for Webber to do his. He should have thought better if he was really concerned about his team and making it further in the playoffs. I hope he gets to enjoy the games off the ice. He deserves to be punished for being an idiot! No matter who you are cheering for, if it were your team, you’d be wanting the same as well!