Senators-Ducks : The finals

[Sakuraba]

Who else knew Snoop was a Ducks fan? I almost peed my pans when he "handed it off" to Bob Cole, and I think Cole said something like "allright daddio"! That moment was the highlight of the series for me.

[big mac]

Lets stop all the fancy passing back in forth and shoot the bloody puck---14 shots on goal no wonder we lost--it seems pretty simple to me--especially on a 2 man advantage---pass the puck back and forth 8 times only to lose it ! This doesn't deserve a smilie!-----------but I'll still watch.

[Law]

This game is way too intense. I need a defib. Go Sens!

[Law]

Well, that was not the same team that played two dismal games in Anaheim. Well done boys. Pronger suspended? I say yes. Two head shots in two series....

[big mac]

Yes

[Txxxxxxx]

Ottawa played a much better game, although I can't say the same for Emery. Two more weak goals again. He's got to be more solid than that in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Pronger will be suspended again. That should give Ottawa some breathing room next game. The downside of that is they won't have him to score a goal for them.

[Hacker]

I'm not sure about the suspension (although I sure think he deserves one)........I have a conspiracy theory that basically says the League would rather see the HUGE California market win a Stanley Cup as opposed to hockey crazy Canada. Bettman has always had his eye on the $$$ and I think he has visions of US Television deal in his head.........

[Txxxxxxx]

I'm not sure about the suspension (although I sure think he deserves one)........I have a conspiracy theory that basically says the League would rather see the HUGE California market win a Stanley Cup as opposed to hockey crazy Canada. Bettman has always had his eye on the $$$ and I think he has visions of US Television deal in his head.........

If it were up to Bettman, perhaps there would be none, but I have a feeling since Campbell is the one handing them out, he might get one. I mean this is the second blatant incident in the last two series.

[Hacker]

If it were up to Bettman, perhaps there would be none, but I have a feeling since Campbell is the one handing them out, he might get one. I mean this is the second blatant incident in the last two series.

I hope you are right EG

[jeffc]

that one was worse that the Holmstrom hit....a clear elbow to the head...can't understand how the refs missed that one. I say 2 games.

[mpare]

I can hear Pronger now: "I didn't do anything wrong. It's the press' fault. They convinced my friends, the refs, that I hit that Ottawa guy. Heck, he just ran into my elbow. I'm a tall guy, after all. Gotta go. I don't want to miss my UFC practice. You never know when people will finally recognize my real talent!"

[mpare]

Congratulations to the NHL executives. Mr. Pronger was suspended for game 4 of the playoffs. He's lucky that he didn't receive a longer suspension. I'm hoping that the Sens take advantage of this development.

[Txxxxxxx]

Congratulations to the NHL executives. Mr. Pronger was suspended for game 4 of the playoffs. He's lucky that he didn't receive a longer suspension. I'm hoping that the Sens take advantage of this development.

You would have thought a repeat offender, and one that was suspended so recently, would have been suspended for more than one game. Kind of mind boggling actually.

[Andy4Par]

This elbow combined with the other series suspension happen outside the playoffs finals he gets 5 games easy.

[Hacker]

Congratulations to the NHL executives. Mr. Pronger was suspended for game 4 of the playoffs. He's lucky that he didn't receive a longer suspension. I'm hoping that the Sens take advantage of this development.

I'm disappointed at the length of the suspension but I'm also surprized that they had intestinal fortitude to hand one out at all

[Kilroy]

So why didn't he even get a penalty? Did I miss something???

[jeffc]

the refs missed it....again.

[Kilroy]

They missed a guy sprawled on the ice and the doctor attending him? So if the refs didn't see anything why did they stop the play? The multiple replays don't influence anything but the suspension? Guess I have a few things to learn. I guess you can tell am not a big hockey watcher for the most part. LOL!

[Golfbum]

In fairness to the Ref who was closest to that elbow to the head by Pronger, in the replay you can see he was not looking directly at that hit.
I am assuming the other Ref was not able to see the elbow. However I think one Linesman saw it and he should have called it or told the Refs.
Pronger gets one game. IMO that is a weak suspension for someone who was given the same one game suspension for a head shot in the last series.

[jonf]

At that speed its hard to distinguish between clean hit and elbow. A ref can't simply call a penalty because they see a guy sprawled on the ice. They may see that player, and know in their head that it was probably a penalty, but they can't call it on an assumption. As for the suspension, I am pleased with one game. It wasn't that terrible of a hit, and it is the playoffs. You can't take away their best player unless its a malicious act. I think the sentence was fair, and just hope to see Mcammond back soon. He and the rest of the fourth line has been ottawa's best unit so far this series.

[jeffc]

the refs missed the elbow, they just saw the hit and him lying on the ice hence the stoppage in play. 1 game is a joke. 2-3 for a 2nd time offender in the playoffs would have been right. The NHL has no b@lls again in trying to deter this kind of crap.

[jeffc]

At that speed its hard to distinguish between clean hit and elbow. A ref can't simply call a penalty because they see a guy sprawled on the ice. They may see that player, and know in their head that it was probably a penalty, but they can't call it on an assumption. As for the suspension, I am pleased with one game. It wasn't that terrible of a hit, and it is the playoffs. You can't take away their best player unless its a malicious act. I think the sentence was fair, and just hope to see Mcammond back soon. He and the rest of the fourth line has been ottawa's best unit so far this series.

it was malicious. Pronger is a goon. And refs call stuff all the time at that speed.

[mpare]

When you look at the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hzlI1TqL6w), it is difficult to come to any other reasonable conclusion than that Pronger intended to smash McAmmond in the head with the elbow. What's particularly telling is how quickly Pronger's elbow comes down once he nails him - all the better to avoid detection.

By the way, the early part of the video clearly shows a ref to the right of McAmmond. Given that McAmmond had just shot the puck, wouldn't that ref have been watching the action and shouldn't he have seen the hit?

[jonf]

The ref would be watching the shot/rebound, rather than the player. The suspension in the previous series was a joke....so that is why they haven't sentenced him as a repeat offender. The previous suspension should never have happened, and I think a few ppl in the NHL front office realize that, and hnce they only gave pronger one game.

Are you honestly trying to tell me that by watching the play, which hapened at full speed, that you can tell Pronger's intent? Come on. The guy moved around him, and he made a split reaction decision to get in the guy's way, the quickest way possible, which was to put out an elbow. Obviously, it was not a clean play, but to say that it was malicious or goon-like is a joke. He is going to miss the next game, as he should. Anything more would be ridiculous.

[Txxxxxxx]

It doesn't matter if Pronger "intended" to hit him in the head or not, it was a head shot, which intentional or not, is grounds for suspension. Are you telling me the entire season went by with head shots that were intentional? Most of the time they guy is going for a hit and clips the other player with the elbow.

There are 4 guys on the ice watching the play. One linesman has no job now that offside is out of play. He is watching the play, so is the trailing referee, or referee up high if you will. The guy following the play is watching what happens after the shot because that's his job, and there is NO WAY he does not see Prongers arm come up. He's clearly taller than McAmmond and that ref is facing Pronger. The near linesman is also watching the play. The down-low referee is watching the shot. There's no reason two other guys did not see the elbow. What were they doing? Looking in the crowd for hot women?

[Pinshark]

What is the ref on the right here looking at????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg5_tK1vDX0

IMO Pronger should have gotten the rest of these playoffs and maybe a few at the start of next season, only because this is the second time he has done this in as many series!

[Txxxxxxx]

What is the ref on the right here looking at????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg5_tK1vDX0

IMO Pronger should have gotten the rest of these playoffs and maybe a few at the start of next season, only because this is the second time he has done this in as many series!

Nice post. It would be pretty tough to miss it even for the down-low guy.

There's really no reason for four guys not to see something like that.

[jonf]

Are we debating the suspension or the lack of penalty? Of course there should have been a penalty, but calls get missed. Period. That's nothing new.

The elbow in the Detroit series was a crap call. Should never have been a suspension. If Neidermeyer wasn't there, it would have been no problem. Yes, it was a penalty, but with the refs giving Neidermeyer 5 and a game, it made no sense to give Pronger a game on top of it.

1 game for pronger is an adequate and appropriate suspension. That one game means a lot more than a regular season game, and I'm sure that was taken into account. The next game is the biggest game in both Ducks and Senators history, so its a big one to miss. The last thing I want is for the series to be decided on a shaky suspension call.

[mpare]

Intent oftentimes is inferred from one's actions. Do I know for sure what was going on in Pronger's head? No. However, given his track record and recent history (as well as his post-game comments when he spoke about the kind of hockey that he has to play in order to be effective), I infer that his intent was to nail McAmmond. More than that, I also infer from the tape that he didn't really care what part of McAmmond's body got hit. If it was his head, so be it. In short, he did not care what kind of damage he might cause to his intended target. If this type of play is not goon-like, which I think it was, then what type of play would qualify for that descriptor?

.... Are you honestly trying to tell me that by watching the play, which hapened at full speed, that you can tell Pronger's intent? Come on. The guy moved around him, and he made a split reaction decision to get in the guy's way, the quickest way possible, which was to put out an elbow. Obviously, it was not a clean play, but to say that it was malicious or goon-like is a joke. He is going to miss the next game, as he should. Anything more would be ridiculous.

[Hacker]

The next game is the biggest game in both Ducks and Senators history, so its a big one to miss.

I would have thought that Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup finals would have been the biggest game in Ducks history.........

As for Pronger, he's been saying ever since the 'incident' that it was a "reaction play, instinctive, a hockey play".

All I know is that is your first reaction to getting beat by a guy going wide to the net after taking a shot is to elbow him in the head, if that is your first instinct, then you shouldn't be playing hockey.

Last time I checked MMA is the only sport where throwing elbows like that is allowed and I'm sure that if David 'The Elbow King' Loiseau from the UFC has seen Pronger's elbow shot that he is suitably impressed.........