John Wisniewski Suspended 8 games

Anaheim Ducks defensemen John Wisniewski suspended 8 games for this hit on Blackhawks defensemen Brent Seabrook. This is twice in 5 days that the Hawks lose a defensemen to a hit that later warrants suspension. Matt Cooke no suspension, Ovechkin suspended 2 games and now Wisniewski suspended 8 games. Discuss your thoughts on Colin Campbell's decisions here.

HockeySureShot takes on the NHL's stance on illegal hits

How many times have you heard the rhetoric after a big hit in the NHL that causes injury ? After Saturday's scary scene that saw Micheal Ryder of the Boston Bruins check New York Islanders forward Blake Comeau from behind into the end boards where Comeau lay motionless for several seconds, Nick Kypreos tweeted from his Twitter account "Ryder shouldn't be suspended for his hit on Comeau this afternoon. Comeau put himself in a vulnerable position when he didn't have to." What bothers me about that statement is not that he doesn't think Ryder should be suspended, but that he takes all responsibility away from the checking player, in this case Ryder because Comeau had his back to the play. It's a cop out. It also justifies the lack of respect Ryder showed Comeau as he stared at his number 57 on the back of his jersey and then guided him head first into the boards from behind. Also, who is Kypreos to say how Blake Comeau should play that puck? By the way, Ryder won't be suspended.
In a hit from behind just a couple months back, we saw Andy Sutton who was then on the Islanders, hit Pascal Dupuis from behind where Dupuis put himself in a similar position as Comeau. Sutton was suspended for 2 games and rightfully so for this hit. Would Kypreos say the same about that hit?
Sunday saw another illegal hit, this time Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins blindsided Marc Savard with a forearm to the head. According the Bruins, Savard was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion and is out indefinitely. Ironically, the General Managers of the NHL are scheduled to meet in Florida Monday March 8 through Wednesday the 10th. Hits to the head was already a priority for this meeting. Now, add the Savard hit to the list of reviewable material.
Matt Cooke will probably be suspended for hit in Sunday afternoon's game. The NHL including Commissioner Gary Bettman have known head shots and injuries have been a problem in today's game for a while and have discussed the issue all season. Back in November Bettman was quoted as saying, "Everybody in the room knows that this is an important subject. It's going to require further discussion because it's not a simple subject. (The March meetings) will be an opportunity to look at the subject even more in an in-depth way." "But I do think there's a sense when there's a shot to the head for a player who is in a vulnerable position or is unsuspecting, that's something that can and should be addressed." Oh really? Then why doesn't NHL Vice President and disciplinarian Colin Campbell back up those words? On October 24th, 2009, David Booth of the Florida Panthers gets blindsided by the Flyers Mike Richards. Booth in a defenseless position takes a shoulder to the head as Richards follows through. Booth was hospitalized with a concussion and missed 45 games due to post concussion syndrome and a chance at making the US Olympic team. Richards was never suspended by Colin Campbell. Booth talked to Craig Custance of the Sporting News 4 weeks after the incident.
This hit was debated on MSG's Hockey Night Live by analysts Butch Goring, Mike Keenan and Stan Fischler. Richards didn't receive a suspension on the hit of David Booth. Matt Cooke almost certainly will, but after you look at both hits, can you tell me what is the difference? Both hits were to players without the puck in vulnerable positions. Both players got hit in the head. Booth was out for 45 games, over 3 months and we can just wait and see if Savard can get back to playing this season at all.
Suspensions and lack of suspensions are all subjective to Colin Campbell. There is no set suspension or fine for an illegal hit or hit to the head. Which is why you are likely to see Matt Cooke get suspended and why you didn't see Mike Richards get suspended for almost an identical infraction. Explain to me Mr. Campbell how you were able to hand down a 3 game suspension to Curtis Glencross on this hit to Chris Drury? This was definitely a blindside hit, however it was performed with much less malice and intent then Richards hit on Booth, or Cookes' hit on Savard. The final kicker to us is this hit ironically enough on Matt Cooke from Duncan Keith in a game from December. Keith hit Cooke in the head from his blind side seconds after (not shown in video) Cooke gave Keith a bit of a shot himself. Somehow, Keith wasn't suspended.
HockeySureShot would really love to sit down with Mr. Campbell and have him talk us through his decision making. The small amount of evidence here proves that the NHL needs to address illegal hits, especially hits to the head at this GM meeting. Too many times there are discrepancies on suspensions on almost identical infractions. Who else is tired of watching players get wheeled off the ice in stretchers because an opposing player throws a shot to their head, or throws them from behind into the boards because "the player had their head down," or "the player put themselves in that position?" To us, that's a cop out and it's a cop out that is going to see a player get permanently hurt or even worse. The NHL needs a guideline on head shot penalties and suspensions. Lets hope the David Booth injury is for the greater good of the game and health of the players.

Trade Deadline Day

It's March 3, 2010 and the trade deadline is at 3pm EST this afternoon. For many teams, it's a last ditched effort to plug any holes or bolster their lineup for the playoff push. While for others, it's about unloading parts that don't fit your plans for the future. Historically, it's a big day and for fans, it's like Christmas.
A lot of movement is likely at this deadline. Many teams think they are capable of winning the Stanley Cup and just about every team in the league has some sort of playoff shot. One the most intriguing scenario's for today has to be the Florida Panthers. The Panthers continue to be one of those teams that knocks on the door of the playoffs every year but falls short. Talent is there but ownership's not willing to take the extra steps needed to get better. The Panthers traded away Jay Bouwmeester, Oli Jokinen in the past few seasons and reports are that Tomas Vokoun will be next if he waives his No trade clause. It will be interesting to see if players like David Booth and Nathan Horton are also moved. With their lack of success and constant trading away of talented players, the Panthers could find themselves in serious trouble of even holding on to that franchise unless a new ideology is found.
Another topic of the day is goaltending. Several teams in the league want an upgrade and should attempt to upgrade. If anyone saw the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders last night, you would know what I'm talking about. Dwayne Roloson withstood a shooting gallery in the first to keep the Islanders in the game, who then erupted for 4 goals in the 2nd period to win easily. Many of the Isles goals tonight could have been stopped and if the Blackhawks think they can win in the playoffs with shotty goaltending they can't, no matter how good they are.
With Ray Emery out for the season, look for the Flyers to acquire a goalie. Could Marty Biron be heading back? Will the Islanders trade Dwayne Roloson or Biron now that Dipietro could be out ? Where does Marty Turco end up? Do the Capitals stand pat with Varlomov and Theodore?
Please comment and discuss the day's action.

Trade Deadline

Gold medal for the Canadian team?

Oh yeah, we rocked that shit. Crosby's overtime goal will probably be remembered as one of the best Canadian goals scored on the international stage. When I saw it on TV, I didn't even realize what had happened until the crowd went insane. It was a great moment for hockey and for hockey fans here in Canada and the United States. The US team was scary good. No one expected them to be as good as they were, but the goaltending of Ryan Miller and the quick and young forwards they had made them a real force. They caught Canada in the round robin, and almost got them again in the gold medal game.

Now that the Olympics are out of the way, we return to your regularly scheduled crazy NHL program. Now, with the trade deadline approaching, we are left to wonder if Burkie will be moving anyone else.

Really, the major move for the Leafs was made before the Olympics with the acquisitions of Dion Phaneuf and JS Giguere. The Maple Leafs still have several expiring contracts and some assets that other teams would desire. One is Tomas Kaberle.

For almost a whole year now, the rumours of Kaberle leaving town have been swirling. Although Tomas continues to deny that he would like to leave and says he will not waive his NTC, the Leafs would probably get back a sizable amount of picks and/or assets if they were to trade Kaberle. The two main issues are A) would Kaberle be willing to waive his no trade clause and B) would the Leafs want to move him anyway.

Another player who could move is Alexei Ponikarovsky. He has improved greatly over the last few seasons and is a legit 20 goal scorer in this league with the potential to score more. If Dominic Moore or Jordan Leopold are worth second round picks, then Alexei Ponikarovsky is worth AT LEAST a second round pick. He is a better player then Moore right now and could be a good addition to any team looking for a boost.

It will be interesting to see if Brian Burke makes any more moves at the deadline.

welcome

Hello and welcome to our new blog called Hockey SureShot. This new blog and website is dedicated to the NHL and most things hockey. Hockey SureShot will feature two main writers who co-created the site. Dave will be the expert on the Western Conference and Dan will be the Eastern Conference expert. Both have watched and analyzed (way too much) hockey over the past 20 plus years. Check back shortly for advice on betting, our playoff picks and trade deadline analysis of every team.

Jiggy - band aid or maybe more?

When I heard the trade sending Toskala and Blake away to Anaheim for JS Giguere, I was a happy man. Sure, we were picking up some salary but we managed to shed the terrible Blake contract and get rid of one of the worst Leafs goaltenders in recent times.

(In a side note, if Blake was making $2 million or less, I would have loved to see him stay with the Leafs. He is a tireless worker and although he makes some bad decisions and too many poor shots, he was a great person.)

Anyways, when the trade occured, it was thought that Jiggy was going to be a temporary fix until his contract expired. He would be the stop-gap, giving our team decent goaltending until our saviour named Gustavsson was ready. After seeing his first two games back and thinking back just a year or two, maybe people were too quick to call this man done. I think Giguere may be more then a short term fix.

How old was Belfour when he became a Leaf and helped the team make some playoff runs? Giguere is only 32 years old. He is not some ancient dinosaur like CuJo was in his last stint here. I may be jumping the gun on this, but Giguere has been very impressive in two shutouts against two game opponents in New Jersey and Ottawa - both tough teams to play due to varying circumstances.

If Giguere can prove himself to still be capable carrying the load, then maybe at the end of his contract he gets an extension, not his walking papers. I think that, like Belfour and Curtis Joseph, Jean Sebastien Giguere could be a long term solution. If that turns out to be correct, then Gustavsson will have plenty of time to work out the kinks and become the goaltender we all think he can be.

PHANEUF!

Brian Burke, you son of a bitch. Just as I was getting sad and depressed about this team, you make a huge move and get me interested again. What a way to wake up on Sunday, eh?

So, now Dion Phaneuf is a Toronto Maple Leaf. This is a player who can change a game, much like Phil Kessel. Phaneuf brings the hammer; he can change the momentum with a single hit. Oh, and he can do it on a regular basis. Unlike Exelby though, Dion also has the offensive tools to score goals and assists. The Toronto Sun calls him a "stud". I am going to call him a two-way player. He can play up to 30 minutes a night, shut down the best the other team has to offer, and produce offence.

Dion has had a rough year though. Once, he was a lock for the Canadian Olympic team and was a Norris Trophy candidate. He has struggled and found himself to be expendable. Why is that?

I think it is easy to see why Dion has struggled. Phaneuf is a bit of a rover - he likes to pinch and play offence, and he also likes to take risks and throw the body. Under Brent Sutter, he has been reigned in and it has affected his ability to produce. Also, the signing of Jay Bouwmeester has taken minutes from Dion. A team only needs one "elite" defenceman, and when Calgary brought in Bouwmeester, it became a case of too many hens in the hen house. Bouwmeester has not played too well in Calgary, either.

I don't think we will see the full effect of having Dion until next year.

I will miss Hagman. He was a creative player and he was locked into a sensible contract. White and his moustache will be missed as well. I had thought of Stajan as a Leaf for life for some reason. Mayers...well, I got nothing for him. Still, it was the cost of doing business. Outside of Mayers, all three players can add something to a team - but they are replaceable. A player like Phaneuf is harder to find.

I want to see Phaneuf and Komisarek as a pair. I think they both play solid defence, and Komisarek's steady play can set Phaneuf free to jump into a play or throw a big hit.

Does this move make Kaberle expendable? Will Phaneuf regain his All-Star form with the Leafs? These questions can only be answered by time.