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Why are players like this allowed to play in the NHL?


Neb00rs

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What's amazing is that the instance he's referencing, where Rinaldo only got fined not suspended, is that slew foot on Parise. Wop wop wop... No suspension there :(

 

He slewfooted Josefson in the same game.  Then said 'Well, I gotta do something to fire the team up'.  I've never understood the NHL's tolerance of slew footing.  It seldom gets called in game, even if it is it's a 2 minute penalty, and then it's rarely given a suspension.  It seems like a really dangerous play.

 

Oh and let's not forget that somehow the Flyers came out of that skirmish with equal manpower.  I'm still upset about how sh!tty that game was reffed.

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He slewfooted Josefson in the same game. Then said 'Well, I gotta do something to fire the team up'. I've never understood the NHL's tolerance of slew footing. It seldom gets called in game, even if it is it's a 2 minute penalty, and then it's rarely given a suspension. It seems like a really dangerous play.

Oh and let's not forget that somehow the Flyers came out of that skirmish with equal manpower. I'm still upset about how sh!tty that game was reffed.

Game sounds familiar but can't pinpoint it. Which was it?

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Between this and the Carcillo cross-checking incident, the NHL has shown that it isn't deterring these kinds of plays. They need to suspend guys like this for 10+ games for any incident where there's clear intent to injure.

10 games for a 1st offense, 15 for the 2nd, then 25, 40 and a full season for the subsequent offenses. That will wake people up.  Maybe you can offer a way to wipe it clean if a player truly changes by having the punishment reset after 5 years without a suspension, but that would be the only way to get relief from the punishment that I would provide.

The team should also be fined or maybe better yet, have a penalty applied against the cap. Something like $500k for the year for 1st offense, $1M for the 2nd, then $1.5M, $2.5M, $4M for any offenses committed within a the 3 year period prior to the incident.

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Yeah I wouldn't give Flyer fans credit for anything considering they loved it when Ray Emery picked on a defenseless goalie and got the third star in a 0-7 game for it.

 

I'll say this, that game was sort of the catalyst for the Flyers turnaround last season

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He slewfooted Josefson in the same game.  Then said 'Well, I gotta do something to fire the team up'.  I've never understood the NHL's tolerance of slew footing.  It seldom gets called in game, even if it is it's a 2 minute penalty, and then it's rarely given a suspension.  It seems like a really dangerous play.

 

Oh and let's not forget that somehow the Flyers came out of that skirmish with equal manpower.  I'm still upset about how sh!tty that game was reffed.

 

 

I agree. It's not a hockey play at all, it's an assault. You're putting the player in a position to basically crack his skull open if done hard/fast/unexpectedly enough. I hate to sound like a Habs fan, but it could be considered a crime. Not a hockey play whatsoever.

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Years ago these players would Fire up a team by dropping the gloves with the other teams enforcers. They would also keep the other teams cheap shot artists in check as well with the threat of a fight. Now with the stupid instigator rule (I'm not against the rule in theory but against how it is applied) these players are afraid of dropping the gloves of getting that extra minutes/game misconduct and drawing the ire of their coaches.

Without fixing that rule first you won't slow this down. I also agree that punishing the coach/team is a good route as well.

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Suspending no talent goons isn't a deterrent, the NHL needs to find a way to start hitting organizations like the Flyers for basically promoting this culture if you want to see any real change.

 

I agree completely. But as far as Rinaldo specifically is concerned, he has to play cleaner, or his next suspension is going to really hurt.

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  • 8 months later...

I've gotta be honest - I don't have a huge problem with that hit..

 

It was a tad bit late, and it looks like he left his feet just a little bit.  So I assume he'll get some time off, especially considering his history.

 

But I like big hits like that - Couturier's gotta be more aware of his surroundings.  Players need to be aware of who's on the ice and when they're in a vulnerable position.  I mean, I guess it's easy to say sitting here behind a computer screen but.. I dunno, I feel like huge hits like this are going to be gone from the game within just a few years.  

 

I mean.. this hit kinda reminds me of Stevens' on Francis in the 00-01 playoffs.

 

 

Edit: A little better quality:

 

Edited by Devilsfan118
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Zac Rinaldo is a piece of sh!t and he is out there trying to injure other players. I said a few years ago, that it's only a matter of time before he ends someone's career. He and a small handful of other players around the league need to be banned long term, none of this 5 game suspension crap. Players need to be protected.

 

Last night he injured Kris Letang with a vicious boarding penalty. He was interviewed (below) after the game and not only does he show no care for Letang's well-being, but he implies that the league is unfairly targeting players like himself to protect star players like Letang. At the end of the interview he even jokes about the hit, giving himself credit for helping the Flyers win and if you ask me, reveals the intentional nature of the hit.

 

 

He clearly has a screw (or two) loose but that's no excuse to let him run around on the ice.

 

The hit:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7nr2UlQZxI#t=72

 

I can't really stand Wysh anymore, but I am glad he called out Rinaldo for this.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/zac-rinaldo-s-got-jokes-about-ejection-for-kris-letang-hit-070154891.html

 

The backside of the shoulder not being “from behind” aside, the other issue for Rinaldo was that he was charging in to make the hit on a prone player and left his skates to drive Letang’s head into the glass.

 

Rinaldo’s response? “Hey, quit watching hits in slo-motion or else you’ll see all the illegal stuff!!!"

 

“I was going pretty fast. I think the impact of me hitting him sent them up a little bit. If you slow down any hit, you see guys every single hit [doing something] that can be criticized.

 

“I don’t think they should slow it down and dissect every little thing.”

 

[...]

 

But if there’s one thing we love about Zac Rinaldo, it’s that he knows to always leave’em laughing after discussing how he potentially concussed an opponent with a hit that will likely earn him a half-dozen games or more suspension.

 

Say Zac … didja see how crazy the game was in the second period with all those fights? As he said with a smirk:

 

“Yeah, I changed the whole game, man. [Expletive], who knows what the game would have been like if I didn’t do what I did?”

 

I don't think his interview went down to the level of douche baggery at all.  I have met Zac Rinando personally a few times, and while he can be cocky for what he does, he isn't a bad guy.  

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It's because real enforcers are a thing of the past so guys like Rinaldo, Carcillo etc., can run around unchallenged. In the old days(not too long ago) if Rinaldo did something like that a guy like Ray, Brashear, Laraque, Chase, Probert etc., would handle business. With all the focus on offense these days guys like this can't get theirs because everyone is afraid of admin coming down on them.

Exactly, Teams managed these issues. We have a few guys this season that will stand up, that's good plus we have Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond in Albany who might be brought in for the Flyers game he wouldn't be any worse than Gionta in that game..

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I probably would've given Torres the gate. He's had so many chances. Rinaldo is what he is. A dirty player who runs around. Eventually, these type of players are gonna run its course. They're slowly being phased out. 

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Karma for the plethora of flyers fans that have busted their nut's to those types of hits the past few years.

 

Thank you. Yeah, didn't think this had to be explained. Rinaldo injured numerous players with dirty hits while he played for the Flyers. So glad the Flyers got a little taste back of this a$$hole.

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This is going to sound wrong, but I mean to me, Bertuzzi and Rinaldo are different situations. First of all, Bertuzzi was punished severely. Secondly, Bertuzzi's main role on the ice was not to go around trying to injure; it's to put the puck in the net. Sure, he singlehandedly physically abused the Wild 10 or so years ago in the playoffs after it was clear the Canucks were going to lose the series. Sure, he did what he did against Steve Moore - no excuse - but it hasn't been the overarching theme of his career. He has also made changes after the Moore incident - which by the way - happened in response to what in my opinion, was a pretty dirty hit by Moore on Markus Naslund.

In Rinaldo's case, all the guy really does is skate fast, lurk, and eventually attempt to injure other players. A fact which he made clear with his post game interview in which he jovially took credit for 'changing the game.' He just has no place in the game.

Come to think of it the Moore-Bertuzzi incident is a shining example of why using enforcers to deter/punish players like Rinaldo doesn't work: it only causes more injuries and puts the enforcers in the position of feeling pressure to take revenge on the dirty player as in Bertuzzi's case. This mindset could lead to some pretty bad outcomes. I think players like Rinaldo are the league's responsibility to deal with, along with the head coaches and GMs that put them on the ice.

You call 20 games including playoffs a severe punishment? He charmed his way back into the league after the lockout, and charmed his way into pity from everyone. People actually felt bad for the guy for what he went through. The only just punishment for bertuzzi would have been career ban. Even then, he's not going through half of what Steve Moore did. I don't really give a sh!t what his role was, he almost killed a guy because he made a legal hit on a teammate. Naslund lost 3 games, and that cost Moore his career and well-being.

That maniac can still sign an NHL contract.

Edited by thecoffeecake
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You call 20 games including playoffs a severe punishment? He charmed his way back into the league after the lockout, and charmed his way into pity from everyone. People actually felt bad for the guy for what he went through. The only just punishment for bertuzzi would have been career ban. Even then, he's not going through half of what Steve Moore did. I don't really give a sh!t what his role was, he almost killed a guy because he made a legal hit on a teammate. Naslund lost 3 games, and that cost Moore his career and well-being.

That maniac can still sign an NHL contract.

 

Old conversation, but the main point I made was that Bertuzzi had a reason to be on the ice other than taking cheap shots, making dirty hits, and attempting to injure other players. Rinaldo doesn't. Bertuzzi was an all-star forward, Rinaldo is just a piece of sh!t.

Edited by Neb00rs
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Old conversation, but the main point I made was that Bertuzzi had a reason to be on the ice other than taking cheap shots, making dirty hits, and attempting to injure other players. Rinaldo doesn't. Bertuzzi was an all-star forward, Rinaldo is just a piece of sh!t.

I think there's more of a place in the NHL for dirty agitators than an all star who did what he did.
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You call 20 games including playoffs a severe punishment? He charmed his way back into the league after the lockout, and charmed his way into pity from everyone. People actually felt bad for the guy for what he went through. The only just punishment for bertuzzi would have been career ban. Even then, he's not going through half of what Steve Moore did. I don't really give a sh!t what his role was, he almost killed a guy because he made a legal hit on a teammate. Naslund lost 3 games, and that cost Moore his career and well-being.

That maniac can still sign an NHL contract.

I still maintain that most of the damage done to more was in the pile up on top of him after Bertuzzi punched him. You had a 5 guy pile up on top of a guy who had just been knocked out. Never good.

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