You aren’t supposed to hit someone “in the numbers”, let alone when they are falling (especially when your hooking might have caused them to fall). Highly dangerous hit.

This is the ambiguity I was caught on. I agree with that interpretation, although it’s hard to imagine anyone ever giving a “Yes” when asked “did you mean to knock Crosby out of the game”.

Caps fan in response: yeah, ok in a vacuum. But he made contact with the head and it resulted in injury. That’s a pretty good case for a major, IMO, even if the ref does have discretion (under USA Hockey rules, he would not: cross check that results in injury is automatic major and game misconduct). But the game…

““Absolutely not. It wasn’t intentional,” said Niskanen, a former Penguins defenseman who once fought Crosby while playing for the Dallas Stars.”

Ah, yes. The classic ‘but he has a HISTORY with Player X’ that is a total non sequitur in these kinds of discussions.

Couldn’t of happened to a better guy. Seriously though, he was definitely lining up Crosby to hit him but, that wasn’t an intentional head shot. File it under shit happens. It’s a contact sport.

There’s a big difference between an intentional crosscheck to the waist, and a crosscheck to the neck/head. It’s a regular play made worse by the fact that Side was falling...that’s basically where the story should end.

Not really. Everyone crosschecks, especially right around the net. It doesn’t sound good to say that, but a crosscheck right there is really just a hockey play. If Sid isn’t falling, that’s a jab to the back and the play is over.

You, sir (ma’am?), are a rare breed. I know many people who root for Pittsburgh sports teams, but rarely are they so level-headed as to not believe something like this is a league-wide conspiracy to hold them down.

Why does that mean a suspension has to be coming? I can see a penalty there. I can even see getting tossed from the game. And that’s what happened. He was held responsible for not controlling his stick.

It was an “awful fast whistle” because it was a delayed penalty on Washington, and they didn’t stop play until a Caps player got control of the puck, which is exactly how every delayed penalty has been handled since the beginning of time. That said, you’re a caps fan, so I don’t expect you to know even the basics of…

It should have been two minors. One of Ovi and one on Niskanen.

Everyone is going to the “He has to have control of his stick and he didn’t so he needs a suspension” How about we treat Niskanen the exact same as Crosby, no suspension. 

Has to be? Why just b/c it is on Crosby?

I think getting tossed with no suspension is the correct call. I don’t think he deliberately went for the head, which is what would make it additional games IMO. I do think he put his lower hand on the stick to give him an opinion about cutting so close to the goal (or to clear him out afterwards), and happened to…

Pens fan: I didn’t think Niskanen deserved the major, nor does he deserve a suspension for it. It’s one of those freak, shitty things that could happen at any time.

My first instinct when preparing for any type of collisions is to put my hands up. He just happened to have a stick in his.

At this exact moment, if you put me on the spot, I’d say Niskanen doesn’t deserve any suspension.

It was one of those plays where Niskanen has his stick in that position to give a small, ‘legal’, cross-check, while also protecting himself from an incoming player, more than anything else. He wasn’t even looking at Crosby to nail him, even before Sid went off balance and got turned into the collision.

There’s a zero percent chance Crosby would’ve been ejected for doing the same thing

Ummmm....how many?