January 18, 2007

Blake has the Penguins Spear-ited : Jason Blake seems to spear Sidney Crosby in the belly (Melrose video) but Crosby ends up in the box.

read story | posted by SummersEve to Hockey at 6:19 AM CDT (21 comments total)

Looks like a dive to me, or at least embellishment, but it's tough that Crosby gets the penalty and Blake gets off. Interesting to read Crosby's lips as he comes out of the box.

Melrose makes the point that Crosby needs to start standing up for himself. He got the reputation as a diver, or as a wolf-cryer if you will, as a rookie and it looks like it isn't going to be easy to shake. And teams are going to target him even more if this is the result.

posted by SummersEve at 6:21 AM CDT on January 18

Yeah, Sid the Kid flopped like Marco Materazzi, but Melrose makes excellent points. Sid is a big kid, if he drops the gloves and goes after somebody, they're gonna have a load on their hands, methinks. He squares up and knocks the shit out of somebody, maybe it sends a message.

It wouldn't hurt Pittsburgh to find somebody like Donald Brashear or Sean Avery, who's not afraid to do a little knuckle-dusting once in a while. All the great ones have an enforcer, the Pens just need to find one for Sid.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 6:43 AM CDT on January 18

Where is a "Nick Fotiu" type when you need one??

posted by toradio at 7:52 AM CDT on January 18

Why flop? And it was clearly a flop. But why do you flop there? There are 27 seconds left in a 5-2 win. Why not just point at the scoreboard and openly laugh in Blake's face.

Blake certainly deserved a penalty, but the appropriate options for reacting are to turn the other cheek, publicly mock Blake, or to take a run at him. I expect Crosby will learn that falling down and crying is not the correct course of action. And when he does, his teammates will be more apt to stand up for him.

posted by 86 at 8:11 AM CDT on January 18

Couldn't agree more, 86. If that drops you to your knees, you might not want to play a contact sport. How can you stand up for a guy who does something like this? The kid can play tough, he'll go in the corner and take a hit, but then he does this.

On a side note, I went to google video to try to watch this game, and it looks like they haven't put up any new games since mid-December. It wouldn't surprise me, since we're talking about the NHL. Great ideas but no follow-through.

posted by SummersEve at 8:18 AM CDT on January 18

I think we sometimes forget that Sid is a 19-year old kid. He dives. So did Gretzky as a youngun. And he's not huge or a fighter by any stretch of the imagination - I think it's a little ridiculous to suggest that he "needs" to drop the gloves and throw a few for some respect (though it undoubtedly would be cool). Ovechkin doesn't (of course he hits like a frieght train). I for one plan on cutting him a little slack.

I think his career is going to get the same treatment that all the greats do: He'll be labelled soft until he wins something - no matter what he does.

Personally I think the diving and whining rep is overstated. This is a kid who's probably going to win the scoring title before he's 20 AND he back-checks. He's good defensively. It's a fucking miracle.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 8:53 AM CDT on January 18

I was actually watching that game and saw the replay at least 5 times and nowhere near saw what you guys are seeing. This was no Vlade Divac-type flop. Immediately after taking that shot from Blake, Crosby falls to the ice. A flop to me is when someone takes a "shot", and a nano-second later falls to the ground. Sid the Kid drops to the ice immediately, watch it again.

posted by BornIcon at 9:18 AM CDT on January 18

Dont know if any of you have been speared like that with a hockey stick but it is not a good feeling. More times than not it knocks the wind out of you. I give him credit for poping back up like he did.

Where is BoB Probert when you need him.

By the way summersEve, check out yahoo sports. the new area plans are in the works.

THIS TEAM IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!!!!

posted by Debo270 at 9:33 AM CDT on January 18

The stick at best grazes him, and there is no way it should drop him to his knees. I have taken a blade dead-on under the shoulder pads and over the pants and I know what it feels like. Not to sound like a tough guy, because I'm really not, but I was taught to never let the other guy know he hurt you. Crosby's gotta keep his feet there.

Weedy, good point about his age. And I'm not saying the kid doesn't have skill, he is absolutely amazing. But he needs to cut crap like this out if he wants to get rid of the "soft" label.

Also, look what he done to the Flyers since Darrien Hatcher put his stick in his mouth. He has 30 point in 14 games against Philadelphia. So maybe he's one of those people that needs to be pissed to play better.

Debo, I've been saying they'd stay since IOC fell through. Negotiations, that's all.

posted by SummersEve at 10:16 AM CDT on January 18

three years ago, i would have said they are gone but we have to much of a future with this team for the city to let them leave town.

This is the same bullshit we had to go through to get a new pirate and steeler stadium.

posted by Debo270 at 10:19 AM CDT on January 18

Blake gets fined $1000 and no suspension. Dreger gives his opinion on why.

I don't find it that ridiculous to think Crosby should drop his gloves a couple of times, especially against a guy like Jason Blake. Like SummersEve said, if the result is you get Crosby to take an diving penalty, hell, even I would take a cheap shot on him. But if I though that there was chance that I could end up with a fat lip, well then, I keep my stick down on the ice. Granted, he is the Penguins best player and they don't want him sitting in the penalty box for five minutes. But with only 27 seconds left and a 3 goal lead, that's a perfect time for him to assert himself.

posted by MrFrisby at 11:27 AM CDT on January 18

Granted, he is the Penguins best player and they don't want him sitting in the penalty box for five minutes. But with only 27 seconds left and a 3 goal lead, that's a perfect time for him to assert himself.

true, but that late in the game you also have to worry about rule 56(a):

A player who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation in the final five (5) minutes of regulation time or at any time in overtime, shall be assessed an instigator minor penalty, a major for fighting, a ten minute misconduct and an automatic one-game suspension. The length of suspension will double for each subsequent offense. In addition, the player's coach shall be fined $10,000 -- a fine that will double for each subsequent incident.

posted by goddam at 11:52 AM CDT on January 18

He doesn't even have to fight though. That's one of my points. How about mocking Blake? It's 5-2 for Pete's sake! There is no better time to point to the score board and openly laugh at someone. "Hey Blake, you albino freak, check that out up there. We have five, you have two. Shake a stick at that, you p*&%y." That would have worked. And the pointing and laughing would have made YouTube. And my respect for Crosby would have soared. Or he could have just skated away? Or even start to just muck it up a bit? How about a good face wash with a sweaty glove? I'm not saying Crosby needs to come out throwing, just that falling and whining is his instinctive response and it's not the right one.

I know this is easy for me to say sitting here. And I respect his game a ton. He's is, and will continue to be, awesome. But it's instinctive whine and dive thing that gets on my nerves. And I'm not sure he's ever going to get over it. We'll see.

posted by 86 at 12:36 PM CDT on January 18

that late in the game you also have to worry about rule 56(a):

Good point, goddam, I don't know how I forgot about that rule. I keep rereading it to see if there is a loophole but there doesn't appear to be one. Crosby doesn't seem to have a good rep with the referees, so if it's thier discretion, he could very well be screwed there. The only thing I can think of is that, the referees can't suspend a player, that's up to the league right? So when they review the tape they could see that Blake was the aggressor.

posted by MrFrisby at 12:50 PM CDT on January 18

citing the rule book, goddam? nice.

posted by garfield at 1:08 PM CDT on January 18

The real goones from hockey are all gone (thank god for that one), unless they have speed and can play too, then there just tough, like Yashin a black belt martial artist (don't F with him).

This was just a bad a call and a dirty play. It happens. I think that we have an amazing new star in the game and that is really difficult to find today because all the technology and conditioning has moved forward to provide a compettive much faster game.

The only one that suffers of this great advancement is the referee who can't keep up and makes bad calls, becuase he is human. How about instant replay, or computer referee systems, which would make hockey different from all other sports!

posted by sap_basis at 1:13 PM CDT on January 18

like Yashin a black belt martial artist (don't F with him).

I'm pretty sure there isn't a recognized martial art that applies to hockey fights. The striking, blocking, throws and pressure points in martial arts really can't be used in the "grab-a-jersey-and-swing-away-while-keeping-your-balance-on-half-inch-wide-blades" style of hockey fights.

posted by grum@work at 1:37 PM CDT on January 18

citing the rule book, goddam? nice.

only reason i remember that rule is because of a brashear/kasparaitis incident last year.

posted by goddam at 1:58 PM CDT on January 18

Dammit grum, don't mess with another man's Fu!

posted by The_Black_Hand at 4:50 AM CDT on January 19

Dustin McArthur used to run a hockey fight camp for kids. Something about that seems very, very wrong.

posted by Samsonov14 at 2:39 PM CDT on January 19

The Corpus Christi Ice Rays?

posted by qbert72 at 4:29 PM CDT on January 19

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