Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild delivered a massive open ice hit to Evgeny Kuznetsov of the Washington Capitals. Many are touting it as a clean, textbook hit and there was no penalty on the play. This hit to me defines the borderline and should be the reason we finally see an honest conversation at the NHL level on why we have hitting in hockey.
@Minnesota Wild
14 Comments
It was shoulder on shoulder. You are more blind than all the refs put together. You deserve a lifetime suspension.
1:18– "It doesn't matter what is hit first, it matters what takes the brunt of the force"
2:20 – "The head does not take the brunt of the force"
2:27 – "But that head is taking the initial point of contact"
So much of what you said is wrong.
First and foremost you are not pronouncing "Dumba" correctly – and it is not even close. If you want to be taken seriously you really should be pronouncing a veteran, well known player's name correctly – no?
He absolutely glided into the check. You are suggesting that because his blades are not touching the ice at the point of contact that he was not "gliding" into the check? That is not what "gliding" into a check means – it means that a player is not taking strides into the check to aid in adding force – IE: a charge. This was an absolute textbook example of gliding into a check.
Just because his blades were not touching the on contact does not mean he leapt into the hit. If that were the case virtually every check made in a game would be called a charge.
You also mention that he made no attempt to play the puck but chose to play the body instead. I think what you are doing is confusing youth hockey rules with NHL hockey rules. And the youth hockey rule you are referring to is one that was established in the last 5 years so a very new rule. If you think NHL rules say that a player is obligated to play the puck if he can rather than opting to take the body you are entirely wrong. Like not just slightly wrong – nowhere in the stratosphere of being anywhere close to correct. Have you seen an NHL defenseman play a simple one on one? They do not even look at the puck – they look at the forwards chest. If they do try to play the puck they often get made a fool of by the unbelievable talent in the NHL these days.
I like the effort and the concept on this video but you are clearly off on some key points.
The Trouba effect. They want that "big hit", they want to hit high, they want to catch head shots. I'd definitely suspend on any hit where a player jumps/stands up for the purpose of making a big hit.
One of the worst breakdowns I've ever watched.
Spot on. So many needless elements. Looking for the hit, not for the body check separating the puck. Could have been an open-ice whopper without all the recklessness. Have to send a message to the players that this is not how you do it.
Excellent breakdown! For those not seeing the Trouba effect in this hit you can find a comparison of a clean open ice hit here https://youtu.be/-AEp_j8XBY4 (and many more in his "clean checks" playlist).
Leaving one's feet off the ice does not actually increase the force of the hit (or check). Maximum kinetic energy is established as soon as the driving leg (or legs) of the player who is throwing the hit is fully extended. When feet leave the ice before contact, all it does is elevate one player relative to the other, increasing the danger of a high hit to the head.
Agree its a predatory but if you watched how Kuznetsov was playing before this hit, I think it was payback for some extra aggressive cross checking, roughing in the minutes before this hit.
OUCH. Watching the head move back and forth laterally as you go forward and back with the video makes it look ever so slightly .. disconnected.
Did anybody watch the whole game and see several obvious missed calls for the caps…? Either way …Dumba on the ice means head up boys and no soft passes outta the corner
you depict eastern europeans as savages. but you are the real savages. catholics and protestants. attacking the whole world.
Terrible breakdown.
Btw. His head is down he deserved it
You're on crack!! There wasn't one part of Dumba other than the jersey that touched his head. This video even shows it that there was zero contact to the head. The head moves way after his whole body is moving first and the head follows. This is proven by Kunetsov's reaction even while on the ice. His arm is folded because his shoulder took the point of contact. If it was his head he wouldn't be holding his arm up.