On hits, touch of gray vexing
Sidney Crosby and Tom Wilson have found something they agree on after years spent battling on opposite sides of the Penguins-Capitals rivalry.
Crosby, the longtime Penguins captain, broached the topic of NHL players wanting to better understand the line between clean and dirty hits after teammate Brandon Tanev was given a major penalty for a hit on the Bruins’ Jarred Tinordi that appeared to many to be legal.
After serving a sevengame ban for boarding, Wilson cited Crosby’s comments when pointing out there’s some confusion around the league.
“I hope as players we can get some clarity on what’s a good hit and what’s not,” Crosby said. “I know it’s fast, but right now it’s really hard to know what is in fact clean and what’s not and when you’re out there playing it’s important that you do know that.”
Wilson added: “There’s a lot of guys talking out about it around the game right now, captains on other teams saying things about the physical aspect of the game.”
The history between these two players is dotted with controversy. Wilson has been suspended multiple times for questionable hits, including one that gave the Penguins’ Zach Aston-Reese a concussion and broken jaw. Crosby has all but called Wilson a headhunter.
This season, Crosby and Wilson appear to be on the same page for once and each acknowledged officials have a tough job.
Joshua Smith, who runs the Scouting the Refs site that tracks officials’ calls and more, said players watching replays on iPads on the bench during games has had an effect.
“Guys aren’t just talking about a hit that happened in the first period: They’re watching it, they’re critiquing it on the bench and they’re talking about it and they’re seeing the replays,” Smith said. “They’re more informed, and that leads to some sharper criticism.”
The league recently gave officials the ability to review certain situations, but only if it’s deemed a major at first. Wilson’s hit that injured Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo wasn’t called anything on the ice, leading Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy to yell from the bench that it has to be a penalty because it was going to be a multigame suspension.
“You can’t call what you don’t see, so if they don’t know to call it a major, there’s never any chance to review it,” said Smith, who wondered if adding an off-ice official with a clear view from high above the play with the ability to buzz down in major situations would solve that problem. “Maybe that’s not such a bad idea to ... get those hits out of the game.”
Retired ref Paul Stewart said the onus is on officials to be in the right position to see potential penalties when they happen.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has doled out eight suspensions for a total of 20 games this season after 20 for 51 games all of last season.
“It’s hard as a player to know,” Crosby said. “We look at a hit and we think, ‘Oh that’s a suspension’ and it’s not, or we think it’s a penalty and it’s not and then you see a hit like (Tanev’s), you don’t expect a five-minute major and it ends up being one. It seems like it’s a little gray right now.”