Craig Adams dirty hit on Alex Ovechkin

Truth is the Ovechkin hit on Campbell, or some form of it, happens in almost every game, but if there's no injury, there's no penalty.

~TSNBobMcKenzie

Craig Adams dirty hit on Alex Ovechkin:
Compare how Alex went into the boards head first with Brian Campbell who went into the boards with his right shoulder. With shoulder, not with his head first like Alex Ovechkin. It tells you it was not a hit from behind, it was a sideways hit.

By Mike Vogel, March 15, 2010, "Stop Making Sense":

Differences? Well, for one, Mike Knuble goes right after Craig Adams. That is how hockey works. Or is supposed to work. If there’s a dirty hit on a guy whose sweater is the same as yours, you go after the guy who did it.

That didn’t happen in the second example, not for a long time. Not until after the trainer was on the ice. Maybe the Blackhawks didn’t see the hit as dirty?

I wasn’t on the ice, I don’t know. Thing is, if one is a dirty hit worthy of suspension, the other should be as well. One is a penalty and a two-game suspension. One is nada. Zippy. No penalty, no hearing.

I love hockey. I’ve loved hockey as long as I can remember. But the more I watch it, the less I seem to understand certain parts of it. Doesn’t seem like that’s how it’s supposed to work.

By Lindsay Applebaum, Capitals Insider, March 15, 2010:

"We have no problem with the way Alex tried to finish his check," GM George McPhee said in a statement. "Unfortunately, an injury resulted. We are disappointed with the suspension but do not want to comment further."

As a repeat offender (he was also suspended for a knee-on-knee hit in late November), Ovechkin will forfeit $232,645.40 of his salary to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund, based on the number of games in the season (82), rather than the number of days (193). He is eligible to return to the Caps, who have already clinched the Southeast Division title, on March 20 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Boudreau: "I've been pacing all day upstairs, waiting for the decision. It's a tough call for [NHL VP Colin Campbell]. I don't want his job today. ... The decision has been made. I don't agree with it. But maybe if I was [Chicago Coach] Joel Quenneville, I wouldn't think it wasn't enough. ...


"I watched [the hit] frame by frame, trying to think what they would think. To me, there's no way that was anywhere near a vicious as [Colorado enforcer David] Koci's hit on Mike [Green on Dec. 15]. Nowhere near. ...

"If you look at it, [Campbell's] skates were parallel to the net. Once Campbell dishes it off, he knows Alex is there. He doesn't hit him, he pushes him. As he's going, it looked to me like [Campbell's] left leg stumbled and he almost toe-picked the ice. He's one of the greatest skaters in the game. He's stayed healthy because he's able to avoid this. I'm sure he thought he was going to spin off it. ...

"The [refs] waited and waited. They didn't want to make the call. The last thing [referee] Dan O'Halloran wanted to do was kick Alex Ovechkin out of an NBC game. But he thought in his mind that, 'If this guy is hurt, I have to give him a five-minute major.' ...

"Alex pushed [Campbell]. He pushed him. If he doesn't fall awkwardly into the boards, a) Is it a penalty? b) Are we having this discussion? ... Alex is so much stronger than everyone else. So we're penalizing him for being strong. ...

"I was so upset for him. I told [GM George McPhee], 'I can't tell him.' I feel so bad for the guy. All he wants to do is play hockey and play the game hard."

Campbell knew Ovie was behind him, in fact took a second look just before the hit. He in no way prepared himself to be hit (or even shoved?), which seems to be commonplace these days in the NHL. There was a time in hockey when D-men would 'lunge' towards incoming hits with their shoulder, mitigating much of the impact.

Campbell just assumed Ovie wouldn't hit him and fell into the boards like a piece of spaghetti.

Are we really going to remove all responsibility from players who have the puck in terms of awareness? Can you hit anyone anymore?

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