Washington forward Donald Brashear has been suspended for six games by the National Hockey League and will miss Tuesday's Game 7 of the Capitals' Eastern Conference Quarterfinal round series against the New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN, RDS) for his action both prior to, and during, Sunday's Game 6.
Brashear was suspended one game for initiating contact with Rangers forward Colton Orr during the pre-game warm-up. Brashear was suspended for five additional games for a blind-side hit on New York forward Blair Betts at 9:54 of the first period.
6 months ago
James Mirtle
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Ouch. And the oblong wheels of NHL justice continue to turn.
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by Blackcapricorn on Apr 27, 2009 3:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
If this was Chris Pronger, one game total.
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by Afino on Apr 27, 2009 3:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
You’re right, and that’s insane. Pronger is a repeat offender and some of his infractions have been, in my modest opinion, worst that this hit by Brashear. Yet he never received more than 1 game.
Now 5 games for this hit?
I guess we could say that he NHL is sending a message that stuff like that won’t be tolerated, but it just seems like they sporadically send messages and never have any form of follow through…
by Habs on Apr 27, 2009 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was going to say it’s still very surreal to read about playoff suspensions that impact other teams. Weird.
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by Earl Sleek on Apr 27, 2009 4:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I guess we could say that he NHL is sending a message that stuff like that won’t be tolerated, but it just seems like they sporadically send messages and never have any form of follow through…
Exactly. It really was a bad hit (looking for revenge, extraneous to the play), and I’d love for this to become the standard for such hits. I even agree with the suspension, except for the maddening inconsistency it reflects.
We know there is no way the NHL would make an important player miss five playoff games for such a hit, and I have zero confidence that Colin Case-by-Case Campbell (“Cammalleri’s not that type of player” … “we treat each incident as separate” ) will dole this out again to anyone other than a goon.
I wonder, was any consideration given to that it was a dumb time of the game to risk the penalty (1-1 in the 1st), as in the Cammalleri rationale, or does that only factor on the first Tuesday after the third full moon in non-leap years? (“Bullying when the score is 1-1? Come on…”)
Guessing NHL suspensions really is impossible. Vegas wouldn’t even touch it.
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by Dominik on Apr 27, 2009 4:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
"...except for the maddening inconsistency it reflects."
That enormous inconsistency seems to be the most frustrating thing about this for Caps fans—even when you compare it to stuff that’s gone on within the series. Brashear was very late with his shoulder check and should have been suspended, but then they look at other stuff that’s gone on in the series, specifically Orr deliberately clothes-lining Green in an earlier game, that haven’t even warrant a review. It’s been a strange series with how things are called or not called, both both teams.
My guess is that Betts’ injury had a lot to do with the punishment, however.
Paging Captain Clark, paging Captain Clark….
by Forsch31 on Apr 27, 2009 4:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
See, that’s another big problem.
“Betts’ injury had a lot to do with the punishment”
It’s sad that it comes down to that. It shouldn’t. I agree with Dominik too – it’s not the 5 games for the hit that I have a problem with, it’s the fact that Chris Pronger can get away with this because he’s a star or Cammalleri can get away with it because he’s “not a repeat offender”.
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by Afino on Apr 28, 2009 7:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's excessive.
Sean Avery: punched a goalie, stuck his stick in Ovechkin’s face, and slashed or hit multiple people with his stick intentionally
Result: 0 games suspended
Donald Brashear: One late shoulder hit and a bump in warm-ups
Result: 6 games
by Ovechwin on Apr 27, 2009 3:54 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Well
The 1 game suspension for the bump in warm ups is right, and just. The rules are clear, though given Orr took the bait it seems that 2 games for Brash and one game for Orr for that one would have been my call.
The 5 games for the late shoulder hit is excessive in my opinion though I haven’t watched the replys from all angles it looked like a slightly late but legal hit to me… Brash is the Caps enforcer and is usually very much in control maybe he wasn’t when he did this or he was and meant to send a message. Maybe the feeling was since Betts is out indefinately and the hit was jusdged over the line 5 games – Game 7 of this series and the first four games of the next if the Caps advance seemed fair to Colin Campbell. Hoiwever, I think it’s excessive, it’ll be interesting to see what blowhard Don Cherry says about the sissification of the game now…
by markbona-capsfan99 on Apr 27, 2009 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not arguing against the bump in warmups suspension at all
by Ovechwin on Apr 27, 2009 4:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not the cleanest of hits, but not excessively dirty.. 6 games is ridiculous.. what is this, the NFL? I thought hockey players could knock each other around in the playoffs..
http://www.stlouisgametime.com/
by cold on Apr 27, 2009 4:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I thought hockey players could knock each other around in the playoffs..
Uhh, Betts was left with a broken orbital bone and his playoffs are finished. There wouldn’t be many hockey players left if they were nailing each other in the head like that.
That said, 5 games is excessive. Especially with some of the other hits that don’t earn a suspension at all. You never know what the NHL’s justice system will dish out and that’s not a good thing…
by Hooks Orpik on Apr 27, 2009 5:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not a valid conclusion
Betts’ injury occured when he hit the is not from the hit. It was a shoulder hit, watch the tapes, Betts is a pro and he got caught with his head down on open ice. All that said inconsistant or not, the hit was suspendable for all the valid reasons cited – late, extraneous to the play etc. When you do that you risk a suspension like this……..
by markbona-capsfan99 on Apr 27, 2009 11:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, five games for that hit is pretty ridiculous. He was late but not that late. Clearly the on-ice officials didn’t think so either.
For comparison’s sake it wasn’t anywhere near as late as Stevens’ hit on Kariya in ’03, but I guess that might as well be a different era when it comes to stuff like this.
by GOOLIAN on Apr 27, 2009 5:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
It was later than Steven’s hit on Kariya. That hit is about as late as I can accept and this was later.
by Fehr and Balanced on Apr 28, 2009 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Geez
I’m surprised all he got was 5 games for the hit. But then, I hate Donald Brashear and every single player just like him that are currently dragging down the quality of one of my favorite sports.
by matskralc on Apr 27, 2009 6:01 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I expected one game for the late hit, nothing for the contact in the warm up.
by auxlepli on Apr 27, 2009 6:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Well, if you expected nothing for the warmup bump, you weren’t paying attention. That suspension has already been handed out this very playoffs. That one was guaranteed.
Now, five games for that hit? Sure. Late hit, aimed for the head, seriously injured his opponent. That is a great decision – if it is consistently applied. And that, of course, is the rub.
by Resolute on Apr 27, 2009 6:23 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
They can’t even agree on what’s legal.
by GOOLIAN on Apr 27, 2009 6:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Seriously injured his opponent is irrelevant. Either the hit was dirty or it wasn’t (it was). You’re saying if Betts gets up the hit is fine, or not as bad? Punish the act, not the result. That is how incentives work. Green got plowed from behind by Dubinsky, but he got up. I guess that makes a hit from behind a clean hit to Colon Campbell. It’s an absolute joke.
by Fehr and Balanced on Apr 28, 2009 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I would have no complaints about the length of the suspension as long as the suspension regime was consistent and not on a ****ing case-by-case basis.
The incentives get all screwed up when the determinants for the length of the suspension is not decided based on the act, but the result.
by rsm on Apr 27, 2009 7:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Given that you always get double or triple credit for playoff time served, this is actually a pretty hefty one. Colour me surprised, but I’m pretty okay with it. I was thinking it’d get two.
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by Doogie2K on Apr 27, 2009 9:33 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Yup. Pronger gets 1 game for elbowing McAmmond because SCF games are more important/costly to miss than other games. Well, ECQF games are more important than regular season games so why ramp up the punishment now? It is maddeningly inconsistent.
by Fehr and Balanced on Apr 28, 2009 11:19 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I doubt the Caps even care. To be blunt, if you’re the Capitals six games without Brashear is probably worth game seven without Blair Betts killing penalties.
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by Chemmy on Apr 28, 2009 9:38 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
No doubt. We aren’t upset about what it’s going to do to our on-ice performance (or theirs). I’m sure we can find a way to fill those 3:30 minutes of ice time and someone else can probably take 4 stupid PIM. His toughness brings nothing to the lineup in the playoffs and he hasn’t really deterred anyone from taking liberties with the Caps all season. It’s the principle of the matter. The NHL looks like a joke when they hand down crap like this.
by Fehr and Balanced on Apr 28, 2009 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
ESPN first reported that Mike Green was suspended as well, but I have seen nothing since then to back that up…
by Ebscer on Apr 28, 2009 1:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
They retracted it. I’m SHOCKED. ESPN has always been known for top quality NHL journalism.
by Fehr and Balanced on Apr 28, 2009 2:45 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
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