Those of you following the Western Conference Finals saw it. Those of you who didn't, check out this link.
Basically, in Game Three of the WCF between the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings, Rob Niedermayer and Chris Pronger of the Ducks both ran Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom into the boards, with Pronger driving Holmstrom's head into the glass, knocking the Wings forward silly and carving him for 13 stitches.
Holmstrom, to his credit, would return later in the game after getting stitched up and took his regular shifts in the third period. As I noted today in my "Fans Speak Out" message board, "Homer" is one tough hombre.
Niedermayer was given "five and a game". Pronger got nothing. The on-ice officials determined that Niedermayer caused the injury to Holmstrom. Replays, however, clearly showed Pronger to be the guilty party.
"If Pronger isn't suspended, well, that won't be a huge shock either.
Holmstrom apparently did not suffer serious injury on the play, it's
the Western Conference final and there have been hits like this one
that have in the past gone unpunished."
If Pronger isn't suspended, that'll cause justifiable howls of indignation from Wings fans, but they should take heart in the fact that, as McKenzie also noted in his piece, the Wings "totally handing Anaheim its lunch on Duck ice" in Game Three with a convincing 5-0 victory.
Still, this was a cheap shot by Pronger, running a guy from behind and slamming his head into the glass. A lesser player than Holmstrom might've been more seriously hurt. Or Holmstrom could've been more seriously hurt if his head were at a different angle (looking downward) when Pronger drove his head into the glass.
Admit it, Ducks fans, if the roles were reversed and it were Holmstrom laying out Pronger with that kind of hit, you'd want him suspended.
I've been vehemently against these kind of cheapshots throughout this season when lesser players have done them. My attitude doesn't change when a genuine superstar like Pronger does it in the playoffs.
At the very least, he deserves a one-game suspension. Whether or not the NHL has the parts to levy that suspension upon the Ducks best player before what could be the pivotal game of the Western Conference Finals remains to be seen.
**UPDATE** The NHL had the parts after all, suspending Pronger for one game. Some folks might believe it should've been more but considering Holmstrom returned and didn't miss a shift in the third, and will play again in Game Four, the league wasn't going to suspend him for more than that. A one-game suspension, a game which could determine the course of the series, is better than nothing.
That was plain awful. Boarding is the scariest offense for me to watch because guys can get away with it so often and the potential for life-altering injury is through the roof. You're 100% right, Spector. A suspension is definitely warranted.
The NHL honchos will probably find something to explain away Pronger's ruthless actions. Like maybe his wife TOLD him to do it. Everyone knows whatever she wants, she gets.
pronger is one of my more favorite players , but it was dirty and should be suspended
but hes a star and usualy slips away, look at A.O early in the year, or alfredsons hit from behind a game or two ago
the nhl is joke at punishment, plain and simple
Have you ever noticed that whenever a penalty IS called on Pronger both he and Carlysle act like the ref is pulling on their nuts! Pronger is a great player who is clearly NOT above the cheap shot. Not so much different than a lot of others. Carlysle is still mad at the Wild for shooting a puck that hit Selanne in the face during warm-ups. He can't prove it and personally I think he is full of ####. Why would anyone do that? Someone would have seen it. I didn't see this hit but he got away with a few against the Wild which some could argue is due to his superstar status in the league. Some I say, some!
Definate suspension material for at the very least 1 game. You have to think that this off season the league will be taking a long look into blows to the head and what to do about it. I'm not sure the league has the nuts to suspend Pronger for very long, if at all, but when they look into this in the off season this hit will top the list of examples. On the other hand, it was the moment in the game that brought my son and I out of our seats. Only it got us yelling at the screen that they got the wrong guy (Niedermayer). Playoff hockey is supposed to be tough, but that was dirty.
As a player, boarding always scared the hell outta me. I once had only a mild neck strain from goin face first into the boards and every time I step out on the ice its something Im thinking about.
Holmstrom is an extremely tough player, but that should have no effect on the punishment for the call. Pronger should be suspended and Holmstrom shouldnt be punished (in a way) for his own toughness.The fact that he came back in that game is probably making the NHL think the hit wasnt as bad as it really was.
Detroit just cant get away from this stuff. Chris Pronger: welcome to the world of Claude Lemieux.
You touched on something really good in your post. There seems to be this idea that "I hit him but hey, the guy's still skating around, still playing, so what's the big deal?"
The big deal is what COULD have happened on that play. Spector, you mentioned the angle of Holmstrom's head at the time of collision. That was probably the difference between him taking shifts in the 3rd or wearing a halo in some L.A. hospital. What if that happened? If you are Pronger, how do you then look at your own family and not think about what you did to that other one?
Daniel Alfredsson, nice a person as he apparently is, was out there the next day trying to tell any reporter who would listen that Henrik Tallinder must have been feigning injury after being face-planted into the boards. After all, Tallinder played after that...so Alfie'#### wasn't so bad, right?
Now that I seen pictures it looks pretty bad. To me it looks like nidermayer may have raised his elbow, tough to judge from the photos. I'll have to watch the highlights tonight. Once again it comes down to the league having no standards. I say 1-2 games for Pronger.
Bob McKenzie's point on TSN regarding injury being a mitigating factor to me is garbage. Does the league punish the act or the outcome. The fact that Holmstom wasn't seriously hurt has nothing to do with the action, but rather as someone else pointed out, Holmstroms position. Having said that, I can't see the leaque suspending Pronger for an important game 4 in the WCF's, they just don't have the guts to do so, nor do they have enough respect for players who are the victims of hits like this. I love hard fought low scoring physical games...but these types of hits should be dealt with sternly no matter who the player is or what the circumstances are.
Suspension or no suspension, for me, what it comes down to is what happens on the scoreboard. If teams play dirty, I always hope they lose because of the goon tactics they employ. Because of Pronger's action and the Ducks style of play during that game, I will gladly start to support Detroit in the west to come out on top.
P.S. Tomas is a tough cookie and I'm glad to see he finished the game on his skates and hot on his back.
I actually think Pronger was more deserving of the major they gave to Niedermayer. Yes he is taller than Holmstrom, but he still lifted his forearm and used it to drive Homer's head into the glass. Pretty hard too considering there were 2 cuts that needed a total of 13 stitches to close. Thankfully it probably helped that he has to wear the visor for now.
The NHL keeps saying it's going to cut down on hits to the head. So far I haven't seen much overwhelming evidence about that, but this is a good place for them to put their money where their mouth is. Pronger deserves at least a game suspension out of this regardless of how important the game(s) he would miss are.
But of course the sad truth is that I will be surprised if he does actually get suspended.
Pronger is a great player, but that was a dangerous, scary play. A player could easily break his neck on a hit like that and be paralyzed. The NHL needs to send a message about those kinds of hits. Pronger could have him him with the body but purposely got his arms up and drove his head into the boards.
I'm a ducks fan, and i agree ... that was scary, and he should get suspended for that ... As a side note, it didnt seem like the Wings sent anyone after Pronger/Neidermayer, which is definitely what would have happened back in the day. As much as i dislike the Wings, Holmstrom bounced back, and let his game do the talking ... bravo to him on that.
As hockey fans we sometimes could almost be ashamed of the fact that things like this happen in the sport we love. Sometimes when I get asked about this, hockey being such a brutal sport, I honestly don't know what to answer...
I think the league should send a message here, such actions should be punished with the right measure: I'd say suspend Pronger for the rest of the series. That would be a punishment everyone would keep in mind.
When you have a sport with sharp objects. Hard Padding. Played in an aera surrounded by hard wood walls and thick glass. Also a disc harder then my wife's homemade cookies flying around and high speeds. Injurys and cuts are going to happen.
Pronger deserves at leas 1 game mabey 2
But does Holmstrom wear a visor? If he did not have on on I garentee he is not cut Pronger gets a 2 minute minor and this conversation is not happing
Visors need to be Manditory today not grndfathered in.
I wear a full visor. I get teased by my teammates but with a career and a family to think about I need my sight and teeth
Last edited by True_kings_fan on May 16th at 10:56 AM.
I don't believe anything will happen - did Langkow get anything for his uppercut punch to Lebda, during the Calgary series? Lebda left that game and several to follow, with a concussion(?) (and/OR ankle sprain).
Pronger's a bigger name and Holmstrom came back in the same game. Pronger was not penalized but Niedermayer was sent packing for the rest of the game - Nothing will happen, which will in turn do nothing to keep this type of "hit" from ocurring, especially during the "message sending" playoff games.
I stand corrected - if the report is true.
I'd like to hear Pronger's side of the story, but he's not speaking to the media beyond saying "I hit Holmstrom for personal, family reasons."
While it hasn't been confirmed, the speculation around town is that Lauren Pronger just doesn't like Holmstrom...
***
The NHL needs to punish for the action and not for the result. Hitting from behind is a penalty, period. Call it steady all year long, and after enough trips to the box the players will start to learn it's no longer acceptable.
Similarly, turning your back so that you receive the hit from behind is not acceptable either. It's akin to diving to draw a penalty, only much more dangerous: you're risking the end of your career. A bloody forehead notwithstanding, visors and more equipment is not the answer to this problem. The solution is for players to have a greater respect for each other, to not take unfair advantage of another's vulnerability and to not put themselves in harm's way to begin with.
Last edited by Matt_McCallum on May 16th at 11:18 AM.
Pretty much everyone here agrees that it should be a one or two game suspension. Put me in with that crowd.
I think Niedermayer'#### was perfecly legal ... even mild. But if you watch closely Holmstrom sees Niedermayer at the last split second and turns to the boards slightly to absorb the Nidermayer hit. IT is at that precise moment that Pronger creams him from behind. I think that may have worsened the impact but it doesn't excuse Pronger at all.
TKF: Im the same way, cept I wear a full cage. All it took was one stick to the face and I went right to it. Some of the guys tease me a bit, but It helps me in that Im a little more prone to laying out of bendig over, not worrying about a stick or puck to the face.
I think visors should be mandatory, but not full cages. In college hockey it has done a tremendous amount of damage prevention. However, just like in college hockey, wearing a cage could lead to players not fearing retaliation as much for dirty hits. The thing is, will the NHL mandate visors, or is it too concerned with attempting to market the faces fof players?
Bolts: He just brought up some good points about if and how long Pronger should be suspended. He thinks he should but he brought up the point that the NHL looks at each incident on a case-by-case basis. And they also look to see if guys are repeat offenders and such.
He thinks Pronger should be suspended but that he probably won't. If he does he think itll be a 1 game suspension.
Also, an extremely intelligent caller from Orlando was asking him about the Alfredsson situation in relation to this.
Pronger made a deliberate "GOON" play and deserves (at least) a 1 game suspention. Hockey is a rough sport and everyone on the ice knows it, but this was a deliberate attack. A deliberate attempt to physically injer another player. Pronger was clearly head hunting. If the powers that be don't do somthing about it, they arn't doing their job. Bad sportsmanship!
If it was Bert hitting Pronger like that, then the hockey world would be calling for his ban from the league. This isn't the first time Pronger has done something questionable (hit). The last time he took himself AND the Blues out of the series (ala attempt to hit S. Yzerman's knee).
The reason all this stuff is happening around the league (carting players off the ice left/right) is because the league has NOT done enough enforcement to discourage this sort of tough hockey.
Ask Steve Moore what he thinks of the hit? Does Holmstrom need a broken back/bone before Mr. Campbell wakes up and actually sets a REAL example?
There, you guys have your suspension! Holmy wants to move forward, please do the same. Hey, maybe they'll give Anaheim that 5-minute and game misconduct back! Afterall, it was Prongers fault .Ha Ha! Shut up and lets play hockey.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
