Anatomy of a Hit

by jerem77 on Dec 15, 2011 11:01 AM CST

Frame by frame of the Bogosian hit clearly shows that 1. Bouchard turning had nothing to do with it and 2. Bogosian chose to crosscheck him with him already in a vulnerable spot and 3. This should have been a suspension.

Editor's note: This is a frame by frame look at the hit, and why it should be a suspension. It also should dispel many of the excuses for this being some sort of clean hit gone bad. We thank Jeremy for the effort he put into this. Hopefully this opens a few eyes. Maybe someone at the league could explain, in terms of Sergei Gonchar hitting Cal Clutterbuck with a high elbow, how this is a hockey play. Guess Bogosian is just being passionate.

Let's make clear that Shanascam's reason for no suspension is that PMB turned and that he didn't run him. Well for starters it wasn't a hit, it was a crosscheck. take a look at the frames.

This is Bogosian coming in attempting to lift the stick.

He then pulls into a crosscheck. Notice PMB's body position

This is the point of contact. Once again note PMB's body position, it remains virtually unchanged. He wasn't falling or turning between time Bogosian chose to crosscheck him and actually did. Also notice that with Bouchard's right hip out, his right side will take the brunt of the initial blow causing his body to turn.

At this point Bogosian has begun the follow through on the crosscheck. Notice that PMB's stance has now changed as a result of the crosscheck, not prior to it.

As you see, Bouchard now begins to fall. Contrary to the homer TSN announcers Bogosian does not let up at all as you will see.

Bogosian now drives Bouchard's head into the boards. Important to note Bogosian's position in the last two frames. He doesn't move. That's because this is not a body check, its not something he had set to do and couldn't pull up. No he had complete control and chose to do this

And the most damning picture of all. Bogosian with arms fully extended, two hands on the stick clearly across Bouchard's back.

This wasn't an accident, it wasn't Bouchard's fault for turning. This isn't like a body check, a normally legal action that becomes illegal because contact is made to the head. It was an illegal crosscheck by Bogosian to a player in a vulnerable position. A move he had every chance not to make. He could have kept his stick on the ice and tried to rub Bouchard out while fighting for the puck. But he didn't. He crosschecked him driving his head into the boards.

Bouchard was suspended because in an attempted slash his stick deflected and hit a player in the face. That incident was much more accidental than this, but similar in that an illegal action- the crosscheck in this case, ended in an injury.

I have a hard time believing Shanahan even watched the video. His comments about him not running him show that he is completely ignorant of what actually took place. Fortunately for him and Wild opponents the team has decided to take the high road on these incidents, (see Whitney knee-onknee) likely because it was the whining by Columbus helped push the Bouchard suspension. More power to them, they are better people than I am. As far as I am concerned Shanahan is either incompetent or retaliating against the Wild for appealing the Bouchard suspension. Either way Shanaban has become Shanascam.

All frames captured from this video.

The opinions posted here are not those of Hockey Wilderness

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Comments

Exactly.

Like you said, the last frame says it all.

by TheBlackFreighter on Dec 14, 2011 6:54 PM CST reply actions

Jeremy77 thanks for breaking that down for us.

by Eric B on Dec 14, 2011 7:52 PM CST reply actions

Between frames 4 - 5 Bogo's right arm actually moves farther away and closer to his hip

Bouchard is already falling. Bogo pushed with one hand. The damage was done. The second hand and stick couldn’t have connected with anything more than the edge of the right shoulder, but the pic was clearly taken after Bogo’s initial shove.

As for the reason for spinning…

A claim that it had anything to do with the hit is beyond nutty. Bouchard clearly moves the puck to his backhand and passes in back along the boards. He then proceeds to follow the puck. This is as clear as clear can be.

It is unfortunate that Bouchard was hurt, but I don’t think this was a malicious intent situation.

by truck on Dec 14, 2011 9:11 PM CST via mobile reply actions

On an unrelated note:

Sorry to see you guys lose tonight. That was a fun game to watch.

by truck on Dec 14, 2011 9:23 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

take your pity elsewhere troll

dirty play, dirty player, dirty team, dirty fans

http://twitter.com/knowsknothing

by jerem77 on Dec 14, 2011 9:45 PM CST up reply actions

It was a fun game to watch

Shame it had to end in a shootout.

I'm that ''ignorant dumbass'' who writes with the ''whiny idiot homer'' over at Hockey Wilderness.

Twitter: BubbleWild48

by JSLandry on Dec 14, 2011 10:01 PM CST up reply actions

Seriously?

So you’re telling me that after feeling the cross-check, PMB decided to turn his face into the boards?

Bouchard was in a vulnerable position before contact was made.
Bogosian had time to let up when seeing Bouchard’s numbers
He didn’t even try to hit Bouchard, he cross-checked him.

Bouchard could have been trying to do a hand-stand for all I care, Bogosian shouldn’t have come in with a deliberately high cross-check. It was a more dangerous use of his stick than PMB’s deflection suspension. How you are rationalizing this is beyond me.

by FinnfortheWin on Dec 14, 2011 9:39 PM CST up reply actions

what's nutty

is your continued insistence to see non-existent things and make up your own fantasy.

http://twitter.com/knowsknothing

by jerem77 on Dec 14, 2011 9:45 PM CST up reply actions

tell that to your editor

by Buck65 on Dec 15, 2011 1:07 AM CST up reply actions

One, he doesn’t have an editor. As you should know by now, with your experiences with SBNation, this is a FanPost. It was written by someone not on the staff.

Now, I have a question. What exactly did you mean with that comment? Did Nathan or I offend you in someway?

Editor:Hockey Wilderness Editor:In Lax We Trust Now with more Twitterness: ReynoldsSBN

Master of unsustainable passive regression.

by BReynolds on Dec 15, 2011 11:04 AM CST up reply actions

Simply one of the best fan posts ever. Great job.

Editor:Hockey Wilderness Editor:In Lax We Trust Now with more Twitterness: ReynoldsSBN

Master of unsustainable passive regression.

by BReynolds on Dec 15, 2011 12:53 AM CST reply actions

does Shanascam have a public email address you can send these still shots to?

2010-2011 Minnesota Wild Fantasy League Champion
President/CEO of the Tutu Many Slapshots fantasy hockey club

by Chris Winner on Dec 15, 2011 10:12 AM CST reply actions

littlefakeartist@hotmail.com

oh wait….that might be Colin Campbell

Unashamed Alex Burrows Fanboy, MN Wild Lover, and believer in the FLA Cats Blueprint

by JMarushin on Dec 15, 2011 11:23 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Public? No. Even if you sent them, he wouldn’t look at them. The league is above its fans.

Editor:Hockey Wilderness Editor:In Lax We Trust Now with more Twitterness: ReynoldsSBN

Master of unsustainable passive regression.

by BReynolds on Dec 15, 2011 12:04 PM CST up reply actions

Shanahan

Shanahan is an azwipe! A self-important, biased azwipe!

by danders9 on Dec 15, 2011 12:06 PM CST reply actions

As are you. So it works.

Editor:Hockey Wilderness Editor:In Lax We Trust Now with more Twitterness: ReynoldsSBN

Master of unsustainable passive regression.

by BReynolds on Dec 15, 2011 2:48 PM CST up reply actions

Agree on no suspension.

As a Wild fan and referee I agree with the no suspension decision.

I didn’t find the hit to be malicious in intent, the outcome is unfortunate and Bogosian must be held responsible for his actions but a 5 minute major and game misconduct is the proper call.

Two points that I think are important. First, I don’t believe Bogosian has a good sense of where PMB is in relation to the boards on this play. His action, extending this arms / stick into the back of PMB is an action you see along the boards all the time, if PMB is even a couple inches closer to the boards he gets pinned and Bogosian maybe takes a 2 minute minor for cross checking. The onus is on Bogosian to know this, but there’s 1:33 left in an intense 1 goal game, he crossed the line with his actions and deserved the 5+game. Secondly, PMB appears to be off-balance as he’s turning his back to Bogosian. He’s up over his toes and already leaning towards the boards. I put zero blame on PMB for the vulnerable position he ends up in but it contributed to the end result.

This is a 5+game whether it happens in the first minute or last minute of the game. The officials made the correct call.

Our attitude towards life determines life's attitude towards us.

by PRegiment on Dec 15, 2011 12:52 PM CST reply actions

I don't think that people are arguing that the Refs got it wrong.

They argument about the possibility of a ban is on the very precedent that Shanahan set earlier in the pre-season/season. If as a result of an illegal play, a player is hurt, then a playing ban is appropriate as a means to curbing hits in dangerous areas, to vulnerable players, and forces players to take responsibility for their sticks and illegal actions that can result in escalated damage.

Bouchard was suspended because while the stick to the face, causing injury, was accidental, Bouchard did attempt and intend to slash, an illegal use of the stick, an opposing player, and it is Bouchard’s responsibility to control the use of his stick.

Look at your own description. If Bogosian is assessed to have crosschecked Bouchard, and he was, he made an illegal use of his stick. Bogosian hit a vulnerable Bouchard, which you admit the onus is on Bogosian to know, so it was his responsibility to control his stick in a potentially dangerous position. Finally, while there was probably no intent to injury, and injury did result from this dangerous and illegal play. The problem people are having is this was the definition of a suspension getting play at the beginning of the season, but now it is not.

by Krotz the Wall on Dec 15, 2011 1:04 PM CST up reply actions

Excellent point.

Krotz, well articulated and hard to argue against. I agree that a precedent had been set which would suggest this is a suspendable action and the league / Shanahan should be facing criticism for their demonstrated inconsistency. I think we all agree the PMB incident earlier in the season should not have been a suspension, it’s an easy example to cherry pick. At the same time I think your point is a strong one and well stated, the play was dangerous, it was illegal and PMB ended up with a broken nose. A one or two game suspension would have been appropriate.

Our attitude towards life determines life's attitude towards us.

by PRegiment on Dec 15, 2011 1:25 PM CST up reply actions

It is a 5+game in theory. In reality, it is a one minute penalty for slamming a guy’s head into the glass. That’s ridiculous.

Editor:Hockey Wilderness Editor:In Lax We Trust Now with more Twitterness: ReynoldsSBN

Master of unsustainable passive regression.

by BReynolds on Dec 15, 2011 2:50 PM CST up reply actions

These types of Penalties that late in the game

have no real effect in the game du to how late they happen, so I say that if a player is assessed a game misconduct with less then 5 min to play, the penalty should carry over to the next game, that way it actually means something to the player.

Will the Real Thor Please Stand Up ... ?

by the Real Thor on Dec 20, 2011 4:34 PM CST up reply actions

There was an interesting suggestion on HNIC radio a week or so ago… and I know it will probably never happen, but its interesting nonetheless…

In the event of a tie or if the team with the lead takes a penalty that would not run out in the remaining time, the game is extended until the end of the penalty (kind of like an NFL defensive penalty on the last play of the game. A shorty or a penalty that evens up the player count ends the game.

by Mike Murray Jr. on Dec 23, 2011 5:14 PM CST up reply actions

Great post!

If you are from Kansas, do NOT pretend to know anything about hockey! Just go back to watching cars make left turns while going really fast!

by "Gophers Eat Badgers" on Dec 15, 2011 1:42 PM CST reply actions

One thing I remember

is before the season started, Shanahan had made a compilation video on examples of hits/pins and showed suggestions on how to lessen the impact of the hit, whether it was to the head or to the body, to reduce injury.

Shanahan himself suggests in this situation, shown in the first picture frame, Bogosian is entering this play (against a player against the boards, whether he is facing the boards or not, he’s against the boards) properly, with his stick down playing the puck. Where this play goes wrong is every other frame.

The example Shanahan used to reduce the impact here is to keep your stick down to play the puck, and could give a soft hit (ie pretty much what Chara does to every player, he could potentially murder his opponents, but continually states in interviews that his objective is to get the puck and does not want to hurt his opponentsonly to beat them by playing hockey) or to pin him on the boards. Which Bogosian could have done but he raises his hands and stick to a guy he’s already looking down on and proceeds to blast through him.

I saw a couple of posters give Bryan flak for him saying Bogosian should have played the puck versus the body (which is what Shanahan suggested to do for this play before the season started.) Also, you can play the puck and the body, especially given the size difference of the players involved. As I stated, Shanahan showed for this play Bogosian could have simply drove him into the boards by pinning him. Bogosian’s strength of pinning Bouchard would prevent him from getting this puck as well (Bouchard is strong but not that strong.) So that voids the ‘well if he didn’t hit him, Bouchard would dance around with the puck and would have kept possesion’ argument.

I don’t know why the NHL and the head of discipline continue to try to educate players and fans about suspensions & dangerous play, only to, as HW has noted this season, get the Wheel O Shanahan.
Sigh…already too many of these this season, horrible inconsistency on the suspensions/non suspensions. Something needs to improve or change, and sooner rather than later.

by NHLxWildFan on Dec 15, 2011 10:02 PM CST reply actions

Also great post by the way!!

by NHLxWildFan on Dec 15, 2011 10:03 PM CST reply actions

Bottom line is he is injured.

If the league is trying to prevent injuries by penalizing uneccessary plays they just failed.

by GooterBaby on Dec 15, 2011 11:43 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

Dirty hit

So tell me the difference between the hit on PMB and the one where the Flames player got a two game suspension.

Calgary’s Rene Bourque hit with 2-game suspension for hit on Brent …

Copy and paste to watch video……cheers!

by 51YEARNATIVE on Dec 20, 2011 7:03 PM CST reply actions

PMB turned away from the hit while Seabrook was never facing Bourque.
That, and Brent Seabrook plays for Chicago.

You know you're a Wild fan if Spam Whoopie Gerald-buns comes up in conversation
Regressing all the way back to high school hockey.

by JDesthubert on Dec 20, 2011 7:08 PM CST up reply actions

If this were....

If this was Crosby and not PMB getting hit, he would have been suspended for sure.

by crazywildfan on Dec 26, 2011 3:08 PM CST reply actions

Krotz the Wall pretty much nailed it head on. He couldn’t have been more precise if he was using a nail gun.

It is not so much that Wild fans (or hockey fans in general) disagree with the calls by the referees and linesmen, but rather the way Shanahan has decided to handle these situations. He clearly set a precedent early on in the season and pre-season that any act that resulted in an injury would not be tolerated, be it a clean or common or dirty play.

I feel what really angers Wild fans is the suspensions assessed to the early in the season. Bouchard’s high sticking suspension of 2 games. You will struggle to find a game where a player does not slash another in the wrists. Unfortunately, Matt Calvert lifted his stick up in the air, redirecting Bouchard’s slash to Matt’s face. Bouchard was rightfully suspended, as it did injure Matt Calvert. Fast forward a week or to ago, Bouchard takes a high stick to the face. This is the game he just came back from this hit. It cuts his lip. The opposing player was assessed 2 minutes for high sticking, rather than the customary Double Minor for drawing blood.

During the pre-season, Brad Staubitz received a 7 game suspension. What was this suspension for? Checking Cody Bass from behind. Cody was injured on the play. Just prior to the hit, Cody cleared the puck down the ice. Does any of this sound familiar? I do not know how many games Cody missed due to the hit, but I feel safe in assuming that he missed at least 1 game. Shanahan’s reasons in that case were Bass did not make any sudden movements prior to or during the hit. Staubitz hit Bass in the numbers. Cody was incapable of defending himself. Cody was injured on the play.

What was not mentioned was whether or not Cody was aware that a player was going to hit him. I am assuming this means foreknowledge of an incoming checker is not a noteworthy aspect in determining whether or not a player should receive supplemental discipline.

In the case of the hit this blog is talking about, Bogosian Cross checked Bouchard from the side/back near the proximity of the boards. Bouchard was playing the puck. Something, as a player, Bouchard has every right to do. Bogosian, on the other hand, made no attempt to play the puck prior to, during, or immediately after the hit. This suggests to me that Bogosian was playing Bouchard, not the game. Bouchard was injured on the play, resulting in him missing several games. Arena staff had to get onto the ice to clean Bouchard’s blood off of it. Bouchard has a history of concussions, something the NHL claims it is trying to prevent or at least limit the occurrence of.

The only valid reason I can think of for why the NHL is not maintaining an nondiscriminatory appearance in the enforcement of their own rules and precedents is a desire to appear unbiased. At the time of the hit, the Minnesota Wild were ranked #1 in the league. I suspect that maybe the league did not want to appear as though they were playing favorites and trying to rig the game to let the Wild into the playoffs (or further). This idea has quickly lost validity now that the league continues to not maintain a nondiscriminatory enforcement of their own rules even though the Wild are no longer ranked #1 in the league.

The desire to be indiscriminate and not play favorites appears to have resulted in discrimination and favorites. If the NHL wants to set a precedence, that is all right. But the NHL needs to continue an equal enforcement following it. Letting up and offering leeway as the season progresses with only result in the same style of hockey they are claiming they want to get rid of.

by delacroixwalrus on Dec 31, 2011 11:47 AM CST reply actions