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2023-24 NHL Misc. Thread

Sam Bennett is the greasiest slime ball in hockey today, he knows exactly what he is doing with every hit from behind and every after the whistle low blow and he has the shit eating grin to go with it. The NHL loves this shit, they couldn’t give two shits about their own rules or the right way to play, this guy is the poster boy for what the league sells.
 
jeffbear said:
I mean, yeah ... it honestly sucks to agree with them though.
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Yeah, it makes you feel kind of dirty, doesn’t it?

Here is the explanation from Scouting the Refs, with the communication sent out by the league. Both Francis Charron on ice and the situation room didn‘t believe the contact by Coyle rose to the definition of GI. It’s nonsense. If Charron had waved it off on the ice, would Mo have won a coach’s challenge?

scoutingtherefs.com

Panthers’ Bennett Scores After Shoving Bruins’ Coyle into Goalie

A game-tying goal from Panthers forward Sam Bennett survived a coach’s challenge for goaltender interference after he shoved a player into the Bruins goaltender
scoutingtherefs.com scoutingtherefs.com
 
Yeah, it's absolute babble, that explanation. Again, the only possibility to kind of justify the decision was if the refs thought that Coyle made a meal of the contact. And if that's the case, then why publish that absolutely indefensible nonsense?
 
I don't agree that Coyle oversold the hit from behind. His momentum was carrying him forward and the hit (yes, it wasn't much, but it was still a hit) from behind only served to propel him forward even more. To me, it looks like Coyle locks his legs in an effort to avoid contact with the goalie, but it was too late as he was already very close before the hit from behind.
 
I totally am a karma supporter but the video on that little punch to the rat man’s noggin is pretty damning for Bennett. Greasy bastaaaaard
 
NoMich said:
I don't agree that Coyle oversold the hit from behind. His momentum was carrying him forward and the hit (yes, it wasn't much, but it was still a hit) from behind only served to propel him forward even more. To me, it looks like Coyle locks his legs in an effort to avoid contact with the goalie, but it was too late as he was already very close before the hit from behind.
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Yeah, I'm not 100% on it either, but I do feel like Coyle tried to sell it a bit and made matters worse when Bennett didn't get called for anything. The one thing I'm 100% on is that the goalie interference call absolutely should have been made upon review. THAT part mystifies me. I guess you could make the argument that Swayman wouldn't have had a play on Bennett's shot even if Coyle hadn't been deposited on his legs, but ... geez, that's a weak argument. And it would amount to open season on chucking defenders into their own goalies, which a sane league would want to discourage ... right? Right? Oh, it's the NHL, never mind.
 
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jeffbear said:
Yeah, I'm not 100% on it either, but I do feel like Coyle tried to sell it a bit and made matters worse when Bennett didn't get called for anything. The one thing I'm 100% on is that the goalie interference call absolutely should have been made upon review. THAT part mystifies me. I guess you could make the argument that Swayman wouldn't have had a play on Bennett's shot even if Coyle hadn't been deposited on his legs, but ... geez, that's a weak argument. And it would amount to open season on chucking defenders into their own goalies, which a sane league would want to discourage ... right? Right? Oh, it's the NHL, never mind.
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As Scouting the Refs pointed out in tweet with the link I posted, whether Swayman could have gotten to it is irrelevant to the rule. It was a bad call in the ice, exacerbated by a bad ruling from Toronto.
 
andyt said:
As Scouting the Refs pointed out in tweet with the link I posted, whether Swayman could have gotten to it is irrelevant to the rule. It was a bad call in the ice, exacerbated by a bad ruling from Toronto.
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Like I said, it's a weak argument. They all are. That goalie interference call is a freaking no brainer and yet they got it wrong on the ice and on review. Congrats NHL.
 
andyt said:
The NHL and NHLPA announce that Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin has entered Stage 3 of thr Player Assistance Program. He‘a suspended without pay for a minimum of 6 months and can apply for reinstatement.

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So, that's gonna be a failed drug test for a scheduled substance based on a testing schedule from his prior stint in the Assistance Program. The loose talk is coke, but nobody's going to know for sure. Shame. I hope he can get it right in treatment this time.
 
Between this and the hotel incident this guy needs to get straightened out. I'm all for chances for people dealing with substance issues, but this guy seems to have some bad aura around him in general.
 
Well, there were rumors that substance issues were at play when he crapped out in Dallas before he landed in Colorado. Basically, this is a guy who might have been battling some demons for 4-5 years, not just recently.
 
My understanding is that the NHL only does a general 'survey test' for drugs of abuse annually. That means all players are tested, but the results are simply consolidated into an overall number so that that the NHL and NHLPA can evaluate trends in usage. All players are tested for steriods and other performance enhancing drugs and you get suspended if you are caught using those.

What that means is that a player is not going to be caught using drugs of abuse initially by the NHL/NHLPA program testing. The player needs to take the first step to enter the program (not sure if teams can push them). Once they do enter the program and are released from Stage1, they are then tested for drugs of abuse as part of their exit. That is where Stage 2, 3, and 4 come into play. Stage 2 comes with a suspension. Stage 3 comes with a longer suspension. Stage 4 has an even longer suspension. Nichuskin entered Stage 2 earlier this year and was unavailable for almost 2 months in the January - March timeframe.

The player needs to take the first step. Once that first step is made and they enter the assistance program, the NHL/NHLPA have agreed to 'punishments (incentives?) to stay clean once they are released from Stage 1. This approach means that a lot of players who use recreational substances like cocaine are able to avoid the program and any potential punishments altogether. I assume some players who might want some help fear entering the program because of the Stage 2, 3, 4 punishments. The important part of course is that the program is a joint effort with the NHL and NHLPA, so the players (in theory) have input into how the program is set up.

Cocaine is a not so secret drug of choice of NHLers.
 
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Yeah, the increased level of testing is definitely a hurdle for some guys when it comes to choosing to enter the program. By the same token, I don't know why you'd even offer the program without that if you're the NHL. In exchange for limited repercussions, it's perfectly reasonable to require increased scrutiny. Trust but verify, basically.
 
Booger sugar is everywhere where people have money. I just assumed it had gone away like bad 80s pastel suits, but I was wrong. Celebrities, athletes, executives are all still pretty deep into it. I've heard from multiple people that pro sports is eat up with it. I just assumed they all smoked the devil's cabbage.
 
Yeah ... Netflix has a doc out on the debacle at Wembley for the Euro Final in 2021 when thousands of unticketed fans crashed the gates. Apparently the crowd was largely fueled by booze and coke. I figured the booze, because ... London.
 
One amendment to my post about the Joint NHL/NHLPA Player assistance program. Apparently when a player who is not in the program is being randomly tested for performance enhancing substances, if the test detects other substances "at a level that could be considered 'life threatening'" an intervention with the player is to be done.

So its not 100% entirely true that entering Stage 1 is completely on the player and that the League and NHLPA would have no knowledge of usage of substances of abuse if a player doesn't come forward. There are circumstances where substance levels in the blood detected during random testing might lead to a player being strongly encouraged to seek help (in an effort to avoid them ending up dead).
 
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