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Sunday, October 25, 2009
No Suspension for Richards

Should Flyers captain Mike Richards have been suspended?
Yes
No
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After a 12-hour wait, the Daily News has learned that Flyers captain Mike Richards will not be suspended for his open ice hit on Florida’s David Booth on Saturday night.

“The hit was reviewed by the Hockey Ops staff,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Daily News Sunday morning, “and was determined to not warrant any supplemental discipline.”

Daly told us that the play, as reported on Frequent Flyers last night, was not reviewed by NHL executive vice president for hockey operations Colin Campbell because of a possible conflict of interest. Campbell’s son Gregory is a forward for the Panthers.

Panthers GM Randy Sexton said Booth was released from Pennsylvania Hospital this morning and is making his way back to South Florida this afternoon. He sustained a concussion but was otherwise uninjured.

This comes less than 24 hours after the NHL suspended Carolina’s Tuomo Ruutu for 3 games for a head hit on Colorado’s Darcy Tucker on Friday night.

What are your thoughts? Was the hit suspension worthy or did the NHL make the right call?

You can view the hit right here:


Posted by Frank Seravalli @ 11:37 AM  Permalink | 106 comments
106
Comments   
Posted 11:43 AM, 10/25/2009
Denny128
Kind of reminded me of the hit Stevens(Devils) put on Lindros back in the day. They called that hit clean.
Posted 11:43 AM, 10/25/2009
rockinrob
Richards is not a dirty player but he did hit a guy unprotected in open ice without the puck. If the shoe was on the other foot Flyers fans would want justice. I just hope Booth wakes up with a headache and is back on the ice fast. Certainly this hit now creates fodder for all non-Flyer fans in hockeydom to come out of their cracks and crevices and spew their non-sensical rhetoric.
Posted 11:46 AM, 10/25/2009
wgagne12
Wow they actually got it right for a change.
Posted 11:47 AM, 10/25/2009
Lissa
How badly was Booth hurt?
Posted 11:47 AM, 10/25/2009
GNIKGNARLY
Absolutely the right call. Awful as it was to see a player injured, the truth is- You must punish the ACT, NOT the result. In this case- the result was terrible, but the act was not. We all want players to be safe in all sports, but errantly suspending players does not decrease injury. Increased quality of equpiment and medical treatment does.
Posted 11:47 AM, 10/25/2009
Pelti
I am thoroughly shocked they got this one right and did not suspend him. It was an unfortunate accident, but nothing more. And I'm getting fed up with the comparisons to Stevens' assault on Lindros. Stevens made a living off trying to end players careers with vicious elbows to the face, it was a set play the dirty debbies ran, and in the same playoffs, he took out like 5 other players in the same way. Stevens had a knack for hiding his elbows from the refs, he'd lead with his shoulder and then snap his elbow up, and they'd never see it. Now he's in the hall of fame, when he should be in prison.
Posted 11:54 AM, 10/25/2009
JSaq
It is a shame that a talented young player like David Booth was hurt, but there was nothing illegal about the Richards hit.
Posted 11:56 AM, 10/25/2009
ronguida
It was a clean hit. Now, the cheap shot that Scott Stevens gave to Eric Lindros all those years ago, now thats another story.
Posted 11:56 AM, 10/25/2009
CleanupPhilly
He elbowed him in the face. Is this what hockey is? If you let this stuff happen, you end up with not a game but a roller derby.
Posted 11:58 AM, 10/25/2009
thinkdontspew
all the talk of suspension made me think the NHL changed its rules recently. hits like the one Richards put on Booth last night were a staple of Scott Stevens' game. didn't remember stevens ever getting a suspension. illegal hits typically involved a player using his elbow to strike an opponent's head.
Posted 11:59 AM, 10/25/2009
thinkdontspew
no elbow cleanup, watch the replay. shoulder to head.
Posted 12:04 PM, 10/25/2009
bigphillydad
Remember Lindros's first concussion? Kasperitus came across the ice to meet Eric at the boards with his elbow to his jaw. I came to remember the Penguins high fiving each other on the bench while Lindros was assited off the ice. Never mind the Penguins fans cheering, for they are the biggest hypocrates of all sports, but that was a clear attempt to injure. Turn the tables, then and now, if that was Jagr or Crosby today and the three rivers would flood that town with tears. Pelti is 100% right. The replay never lies. Stevens elbow hit Lindros's chin!!!! One more thing about Stevens, I remember him ducking at the second to avoid a check into board from LeClaire.
Posted 12:08 PM, 10/25/2009
vafan
Has the referee that called the penalty been disciplined? The Panthers broadcast team never said what the penalty was so I didn't find out it was interference until reading about the game today. Interference? Are you kidding me? Booth had just let go of the puck at the time of the hit. The ref panicked at the situation and the resultant 5-minute mistake could've changed the game. Good thing the Flyers completely dominated the Panthers last night never letting them back in the game, even with a 5 on 3 tacked on at the end of the major.
Posted 12:11 PM, 10/25/2009
cnova000
I was shocked to read that there was no suspension. Then I read the article and saw that Colin Campbell was not involved in the decsion making, and then it all made sense to me. What we've learned here is that the Flyers can get a fair shake from the NHL as long as that closet NY Ranger Colin Campbell is not involved in the process. I bet right now there's steam coming out of his ears. We know if he was involved Richards gets 5 games for that.
Posted 12:12 PM, 10/25/2009
terrid
First, I'm a Flyers fan. It was a cheap hit - Richard's claim that he was trying to separate him from the puck is nonsense - Booth had already passed the puck. He was headhunting. And you don't have to throw an elbow or leave your feet to headhunt
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About Frank Seravalli
Frank Seravalli is in his second year with the Daily News and his first season covering the Flyers. He is a graduate of Holy Ghost Prep and Penn State. He spent most of the 2007-08 season covering the Flyers for ComcastSportsNet.com, has covered the World Junior Championships twice and has done a large amount of freelance work for NHL.com, the Associated Press, the Bucks County Courier-Times, the Delaware County Times, among others.

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