Brad Marchand will be out for 5 games in a suspension handed down just now (today) from The NHL and Dept. of Player Safety head Brendan Shanahan for a clipping hit against Sami Salo during Saturday’s Boston vs. Vancouver game. The injury put Salo out with a concussion and believe me when I say – the talk is heating up both on and off the ice.
Boston’s coach whined just like his team, claiming the Canucks are dirty when responding to the hit from Marchand would even get a suspension. The guy makes me want to laugh, stating the Canucks should look in their own back yard. Easy to say coming from one of the dirtiest teams in hockey, against a player whose never gone out (like Salo) with the intent to injury anyone, compared to Marchand who just came off a fine one month ago for a hit.
So what is the difference between a clipping and a legal hip check? Here let me show you. The first is a hit from Hamhuis on Lucic which is legal = fair = great hockey and also = no suspension. The second is Marchand’s hit on Salo which is illegal = dirty = low = not good hockey and also = a 5 game suspension.
See the difference?
If you don’t see it and want to call the Canucks as dirty as Boston you are on glue. Lucic has the puck and is trying to get around Hamhuis, who is the defender and simply gives him a clean, and more importantly, legal hip check.
Marchand on the other hand doesn’t even have possession of the puck yet and pulls a low bridge on what was going to be a clean hit by Salo right as Marchand touched the puck. The low bridge is as dirty as it gets.
Salo is also a guy who in his years of playing in the NHL (700) games only has 1 charging penalty in his entire career. Marchand — shit don’t even get me started. Marchand was given a two-game ban last March for an elbow to the head of Columbus forward R.J. Umberger. He was also fined $2, 500 last month for slew-footing Pittsburg defenseman Matt Niskanen.
But he’s not dirty – oh no. In fact Marchand had this to say in regards to the hit on Salo: “If that’s an illegal hit, I’ll take that out of my game.”
Brendan Shanahan clearly explains the difference between clipping and a good check, one that is legal. No one can argue now. Okay well Bostonians can and of course will and the bad media and whining against the Canucks will continue. However I’m sorry – Marchand got off easy. The guy clearly set out with the intent to injure, and has other players in the past and has no regard for anyone but himself.
About Jodi Shaw
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