Welcome to TWSS, a post that looks at the “enemy” posts from around the league. Today we’re going to look at the “dirty” hit on Sami Salo delivered by Brad Marchand. For those who live under a rock, don’t use social media networks or are just dullards, here’s the hit from Saturday’s game:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGD5DbljtfE&w=560&h=315]
You can clearly see that after Marchand hits Salo, he tries to steal his soul and then murder his family….or that’s what Vancouver blogs out there would lead you to believe. So without further adeiu, lets get into the action folks!
After the jump, Canucks blog “goodness”...
I think the gem of this piece is going to be a post written by Patrick Johnson from Canucks Army. Thom Drance, who runs Canucks Army, is a pretty good dude and I consider him a knowledgeable hockey fan. Hell, I like the guy, but this post, really?
“The angle of the camera is above the dasher, probably roughly at Salo’s shoulder level. From this angle, it appears Marchand’s butt is at Salo’s calf. Tough to judge exactly, but we know Salo going to take the hit very low.
And so we are left with the aftermath. What must we consider? First, Marchand is making a play which is totally unexpected for the situation. Second, he’s a lot shorter: Marchand’s listed at 5’9″, that’s probably generous; Salo is 6’3″. That’s some 6 inches. Any hit he throws is going to be lower than most. Third, this won’t have been the first time Marchand has found himself with a big guy coming at him…
Mason Raymond has the puck, apparently he figures he can duck Marchand. Even here, the contact looks to mostly be on the thigh. In any case, I doubt Brad Marchand was expecting Raymond to go low.“
Okay, there’s a lot to digest here so let’s take it step by step. First, Patrick makes a lot of assumptions in his post. “Probably at Salo’s shoulders”, “Marchand’s butt is at Salo’s calf” and then follows it up with “Tough to judge”. Sorry, but that leaves too much for interpretation. Salo is going to take the hit very low, which could mean his glass knees or his thighs or his ankles. Anything under the waist can be considered low if we’re going that route.
Then we’re left to consider the possibilities. “Marchand is making a player that is totally unexpected…” which is such a shitty defense. Look, what is Marchand going to do? Hit someone who is 6’3″ up high? He’ll get destroyed. So because Marchand (who is really about 5’7″) goes into a hipcheck, its considered a dirty play because it’s “unexpected in that situation”? Come on now.
The best part about this post is the end when Patrick tries to defend the Mason Raymond hit on Marchand. There’s some issues with his “analysis” of the play. First being that the puck isn’t in Raymond’s possession. At this point, the puck is already in Chara’s possession. The one thing we can agree on is that Marchand didn’t expect Raymond to go this low, however getting down on one knee to up end someone should be considered borderline dirty. If the roles were reversed, Marchand would be dirty player #1 in the NHL. Here’s a different look at that hit.
Raymond is virtually croutched on the ice to make this hit. If you watch the rest of the video at 11 seconds, Raymond is literally on one knee.
Fortunately, Canucks Army isn’t the only blog to write about the Marchand hit. Next up is the ever so popular: Pass It To Bulis.
“Prior to Marchand taking Salo out in the corner, the two men come together a little higher up the boards, and Marchand’s Napoleon complex becomes very clear: it’s an innocuous collision (as most collisions with Salo are), but when Salo wins it by keeping the puck in the zone, Marchand takes exception and punches him in the back of the head as the two separate.
Both of these punches go uncalled, by the way, despite the linesman having a pretty good vantage point. If a Bruins fan tells you that the refs were out to call everything and give the Canucks the game, just smile and nod.
Considering what comes before, Marchand’s claim that he was just protecting himself is nonsense. He had clearly been trying to instigate something with the Canucks’ defender all shift, and after Salo opted not to respond to his two gloved punches, this is the approach Marchand took. As Mike Gillis said, “It’s a dirty play by a dirty player.”
I hate the phrase “intent to injure” since, because I can’t read minds and neither can you (I assume), it’s impossible to prove. But the hypothesis that this was a predatory hit is well-supported by the evidence. Marchand has a phone hearing with the league, meaning he can be suspended anywhere from one to four games when it’s through. Put me down as a proponent for four.”
Hilarious. First, let’s mention the part where PITB mentions “If a Bruins fan tells you that the refs…”. I’m not sure why Harrison included this in his post when the Canucks got away with some hefty bullshit. The biggest gaffe in refereeing came in the 7-on-1 scrum that Shawn Thornton was roped in to after a spear from Alex Burrows. Of course, no one wants to mention that. If you didn’t see the scrum, here it is. I also took the liberty of screen capping a shot and numbering the Canucks for you.
8 Canucks provided a punch or two, including a Maxim Lapierre splash, to Shawn Thornton and somehow Milan Lucic was thrown out for leaving the bench and the Canucks came away with a 5-on-3 power play. I’m not sure how kosher this is, considering the proof is above. Watch the first 5 seconds of the video. Sedin, Malhotra and Edler first swarm Thornton like he’s on fire and they’re carrying buckets of water. Mind you, Burrows is under the referee, tangled with Thornton at this point. So we have 4 Canucks already on Thornton.
Now look at the bench. The other ginger twin makes a move at Thornton, as does Keith Ballard. So there’s 6 Canucks taking shots at Thornton. Then Lapierre and Weise come out of left field and leap onto the pile like it’s a fumble in a football game. So that’s 8 Canucks trying to take on Shawn Thornton. Funny that one of them is Dale Weise who later pussied out when Thornton wanted to fight him.
So where was I? Oh yes, PITB complaining about Bruins fans complaining about calls. I think Harrison also forgot to mention Burrows’ spear to Thornton’s throat, which started the whole thing.
Anywho, I like how Harrison says he doesn’t like to use the term “intent to injure” because he can’t “read minds” but in paragraph four that’s exactly what he does. In fact, that’s what he did the whole post. To go on and talk about Marchand’s intent with such witty banter as “Marchand’s Napoleon complex”.
Also, no shit you’re looking for the maxium number of games.
So there’s a little taste from the blogs in Northern Seattle. At least we know we’re not angels.
Enjoy your time in the sun and don’t forget what hangs in our rafters and what isn’t hanging in yours.
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