Round 2 - Boston Vs. Carolina

Yeah, an instigator in the last 5 min of a game gets an automatic suspension but it is rescind-able apparently. Of course, the NHL always has an out if Crosby starts a fight in the last 5 mins... then they can rescind it.



Heh heh.

Suspension rescinded. Walker good for Game 6 - Ward, busted orbital bone.

Walker is a dead man skating. Unless the Bs focus too much on him and not enough on the game....

Walker got a fine...

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=278352

Let the fireworks begin...

wprager wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:Ward is an idiot for not being ready for that.

Hockeyhero22000 wrote:he should have known walker was going to hit him

Whether he was an idiot or not, whether he knew that Walker was going to hit him or not, should not enter into the decision making process. Ward had his arms down by his side in a *clear* sign that he was not going to defend himself. Walker is an idiot for clocking him in this situation.

If you guys are going to use that argument, then let me tell you this:

Moore should have known that Bertuzzi was going to jump him. He'd been going after him the whole game for what he did to Naslund (by the way, Naslund was *never* the same after that hit), he must have heard the guy coming, and he was yelling at him to turn around and face him the whole time. He was an idiot for not being ready, so it's just too bad that he got a broken neck out of the deal.

no but bertuzzi wasnt seen as that type of player where walker is a guy who will dirty it up Ward is also a heavy weight and they were side by side for a good minute and i can guarentee they werent exchanging recipies and he should at least stepped back skated away but continuing to mouth back and forth in a game where you are leading 3 or 4-0 and you mouth off you know the other team is frustrated you know walker is out there to try and get a fight or get some thing moving for their team so yes it is his fault he should have protected hisself he had the knowledge of what was going to happen guys like ward know what players are going to do in that situation...this wasnt close to the moore situation bertuzzi jumped him from behind ward and walker were face to face the entire time.... to try and compare these two events just shows that you have no idea how to play hockey and the roles and how things occur on the ice

I feel badly for saying this...but Ward brought that on himself. He was trying to be a tough guy by cross checking Cullen in the back of the neck, then he swung at Cullen sending him to the ice. Then it's pretty obvious that Walker was telling him it was go time and Ward stood there like a deer caught in the headlights.

It should've been a 1 game suspension because Ward deked Walker out by NOT dropping his gloves - and that's a by the rule suspension. But I stand by Walker and say that Ward should mind his Ps and Qs in front of the net (also that Walker should go to anger management).

Pretty amusing situation - except that Ward appears to be injured significantly. That's unfortunate.

Sorry Dave, I looked, but I didn't realize you had posted the punch already.

Maybe not the same situation, but as an analogy, though, it works very well. Please don't attack what you perceive to be my lack of hockey knowledge without at least trying to understand what I was trying to do.

Are you seriously going to say that, had Ward gotten knocked down and out and received a serious concussion that the situation would not be different? It's a results-driven league and so is their discipline arm. They penalize extent (of injury) and not intent.

Hockeyhero22000 wrote:

wprager wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:Ward is an idiot for not being ready for that.

Hockeyhero22000 wrote:he should have known walker was going to hit him

Whether he was an idiot or not, whether he knew that Walker was going to hit him or not, should not enter into the decision making process. Ward had his arms down by his side in a *clear* sign that he was not going to defend himself. Walker is an idiot for clocking him in this situation.

If you guys are going to use that argument, then let me tell you this:

Moore should have known that Bertuzzi was going to jump him. He'd been going after him the whole game for what he did to Naslund (by the way, Naslund was *never* the same after that hit), he must have heard the guy coming, and he was yelling at him to turn around and face him the whole time. He was an idiot for not being ready, so it's just too bad that he got a broken neck out of the deal.

no but bertuzzi wasnt seen as that type of player where walker is a guy who will dirty it up Ward is also a heavy weight and they were side by side for a good minute and i can guarentee they werent exchanging recipies and he should at least stepped back skated away but continuing to mouth back and forth in a game where you are leading 3 or 4-0 and you mouth off you know the other team is frustrated you know walker is out there to try and get a fight or get some thing moving for their team so yes it is his fault he should have protected hisself he had the knowledge of what was going to happen guys like ward know what players are going to do in that situation...this wasnt close to the moore situation bertuzzi jumped him from behind ward and walker were face to face the entire time.... to try and compare these two events just shows that you have no idea how to play hockey and the roles and how things occur on the ice

wprager wrote:Maybe not the same situation, but as an analogy, though, it works very well. Please don't attack what you perceive to be my lack of hockey knowledge without at least trying to understand what I was trying to do.

Are you seriously going to say that, had Ward gotten knocked down and out and received a serious concussion that the situation would not be different? It's a results-driven league and so is their discipline arm. They penalize extent (of injury) and not intent.

Im saying that Ward should have known who he was up against and should have known better where he and walker were mouthing towards one another and walker is not the cleanest player and unfortunately the league does discipline on injury based which is dumb ( like the camarelli but end to havlat no suspension but carcillo on talbut i think 1 game)
i am sorry about attackign i jsut got frustrated cuz it seemed liek you were talking down to me

Apologies if I was sounding condescending. That was not my intent.

Dreger did an informal poll of 20 NHL players. 14 (70%) said that was a sucker punch and Walker should be suspended. Pf the 6 that said it was not a sucker punch, at least one said that it was still "dirty".

The bruins have to forget the punch and play their game or else they may get too focused on revenge and lose the game

Walker fined for punching Ward

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP/ESPN) -- Carolina Hurricanes forward Scott Walker will not be suspended but was fined $2,500 by the NHL on Monday for throwing a punch that may have broken a bone in Boston Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward's face.

Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford told The Associated Press that the automatic suspension given to Walker was rescinded during a hearing with league disciplinarian Colin Campbell. It was ruled the hit was not a "sucker punch."

"Based on what was said on the ice as I was dropping my gloves, it was my understanding that I was engaged in an altercation," Walker said in a statement issued by the team.

Tempers flared in the final minutes of Boston's 4-0 victory Sunday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals when Ward and Carolina's Matt Cullen began shoving in front of the Bruins' net. Walker skated in and hit Ward with a right cross that knocked the defenseman to the ice and was given a misconduct, a fighting major and an instigator penalty with 2:47 remaining.

Boston coach Claude Julien said after the game that team doctors feared Ward had a broken orbital bone. He was being re-evaluated Monday.

"In reviewing what I saw, I just didn't like what happened. ... I just don't think there was any need for that," Julien said after practice in Wilmington, Mass. "He sucker-punched him once coming into the scrum when [Ward] was involved with another player. And then he dropped his gloves and sucker-punched him.

"I don't care what people say about, 'Ward should've protected himself.' He had no intention of getting involved," he added. "We asked our guys to stay composed and not fall into that trap, and he just did that. A guy with Walker's experience should know better than to sucker-punch a guy."

Things were chippy throughout a physical game in which the teams combined for 29 penalties and 83 penalty minutes. That's not counting Jussi Jokinen's second-period slash to Zdeno Chara's lower body that briefly sent the Boston captain to the locker room. Jokinen was not penalized.

Rutherford said the incident was "clearly brought on by them," saying he felt the Hurricanes had taken shots from Boston players throughout the series, which Carolina leads 3-2. He isn't worried about the possibility of the Bruins retaliating against Walker during Game 6 Tuesday night.

"If that's the way the game's going to be played, that's the way we'll play the game," he said.

It has been proven over the years that in the playoffs, 'momentum' means 'no-mentum'...

We have seen evidence in the Bruins-Canes series...as the Canes blanked the BooBoos after getting thrashed in Game One, and the Yogis bounced back after getting skinned in Raleigh.

So...BIG questions for tonight.

Will Professor Maurice and Resourceful Ron set another trap for the grizzlies?

Can Claude, Timmy and the Z-Man keep the BruBoys' mojo workin'?

Most importantly, will the Storm Squad's booty shakin and navel jewellery distract Milan The Monster once again?

Let's roll! And...OVERTIME!!!

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Curious to know what our GMHockey folks think going into tonight's fun fest...

davetherave wrote:Curious to know what our GMHockey folks think going into tonight's fun fest...

My emotions might get the better of me. Damn...

I think Boston is coming back tonight to tie the series. When it shifts to Boston, I think the Bruins win handily and advance to the ECF. And that bums me out man, I have no idea why.

Perhaps because Cam Ward has finally done it in my eyes. He's no longer a one playoff wonder, he's become a bonafide star netminder - and I like him.

Or it might just be that I dislike the Bruins for whatever reason.

Go Carolina. Fight to the death!

davetherave wrote:Curious to know what our GMHockey folks think going into tonight's fun fest...

B's will win and force a Game 7.

When Carolina plays at their best, they win. Letting in those 3 early goals was a recipe for disaster. I expect the Canes to close out the Bruins tonight.

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:Curious to know what our GMHockey folks think going into tonight's fun fest...

B's will win and force a Game 7.

I tend to go with Shabbs on this one...with the game going to OT, of course and a fluky goal--by somebody like Shawn Thornton--winning it in the second OT period.

Not making this prognosis as a prediction, but rather, a credible scenario.