Should Cole Be Suspended?

In watching the slow-mo replay in Shanny's explanation video, it appears that Cole raises his shoulder up (but tucks his elbow in, which is good), which is how Abby gets hit in the head. If he left his shoulder down, he would have hit him square in the chest. Couldn't raising your shoulder like that be construed as intentional?

I'm just glad Abs was okay. I was at this game & when he stumbled & fell after getting back up from the initial hit, I said to my mom "Oh Crap".

Yeah to the suspension, but mainly for the fact that he blatantly lies in his typical, standard plea of innocence. Abby clearly doesn't change his position at all in the replay.

That was one of the scariest hits I've ever seen. To see a player think he's ok, to stumbling over his own feet...............I'm glad that Brendan Shanahan is taking the job seriously. There are just too many concussions happening lately. Not that I'm a fan of Cindy's, but to have a brilliant career cut short...........

I'm wondering if in addition to a fine and a suspension, if penalizing the team more severely would help. If a hit to the head led to a five minute penalty or even a penalty shot (in addition to tossing the player from the game), it might make players think differently about illegal hits during the actual game. A big hit can rally a team in a close game, but if the game is real close a huge penalty definitely hurt the team.

This is a simple issue. If Cole gets himself lower and drives into Abby's chest, then it's a perfectly legal hit. However, his shoulder makes direct and initial contact with the head which is illegal and exactly what the league need to exorcise from the game. Abby definitely should have been skating with his head up, and it is not, in most cases, a dirty play to put a hit on a guy who doesn't see it coming. However, it is the responsibility of the player delivering the check to avoid the opposing player's head, be it up OR down.

Bottom line: shoulder pads need to get ALOT smaller and players need to be re-trained on how to properly deliver body checks with the emphasis on the BODY and not on the head.

People could argue about those who get kronwalled, but to me that is the way people need to learn to hit. The same way I am seeing the wings hit guys, they are:

1. turning to hit with their BACK, where there is less protection than the shoulder. Case in point padding issue but also removes direct hits to the head.

2. hitting vulnerable players with their chest and a bear hug type of hit to protect the other player.

3. bending over and using a hip check.

4. targeting the chest or stomach of the opposing player.

5. timing and thought thus causes easing up and not to hit just cut them off.

There are probably more ways but the players that do this are those who most would not even notice because of the name on the back or style of play. The players I have noticed at some point doing this:

1. this is got to be something everyone should take note of... Bert #44

2. Kronwall #55

3. Stuart #23

4. Lidstrom #5, that is how he is physical he doesnt run through people just closes them off.

5. Abby #8

there are so many more on the team that make these types of plays that does not target to hurt. Only rookies really ever make that mistakes that cause injury to other players... Smith in pre season.

Mister magician is one who lures others into the hit just to level them .... that is also a very good method.

I used Abby because I remember watching one and heard announcers (dont know who it was) replay a big hit of his and said "see he targeted the chest, he dropped his shoulder so he did not hit the head."

Lidstrom is in there as he is true form of perfection and is physical but is not lay out physical. He takes the player out smart and physical enough to pin players to the boards.

Kronwall for his well obvious really. But when he Kronwalls people he has targeted a player with their head down, but he hits to avoid massive injury to the one being hit.

Bert because he is one who people usually associate with being a goon. But in reality he hits with his back and uses the bear hug method often as well. He does not get noticed on those as much as he should.

Stuart is another who is physical and you see him hip check and use his back and the bear hug alot on his hits as well.

I think that this is what needs to be looked at... the wings have something many teams do not seem to have when it comes to player safety. It isn't just having Micky Redmond though that is probably one of the good reasons in the first place.

I'm really sick of these reckless, and intentional, hits. Someone is going to get really seriously hurt. How about this, if we're serious about getting these hits out of the game: If a player is guilty of an illegal hit to the head requiring supplemental discipline, their team forfeits any points gained from the game where the hit occurred. Heck, they could even be awarded to the other team.

i don't like the idea that players who have their head down had it coming or deserve getting hit high. (not that you said that, jordan, but it's a common argument.) it's wise to keep your head up, but head shots are illegal whether a guy's head is up or down.

i really liked what mick said after seeing the replay a couple of times. he said that if the refs saw what they saw (and they may not have) then cole should have been thrown out. and if they did see how bad the hit was and only gave cole a minor penalty, then the NHL isn't really concerned with head shots. i agree with that, but i would say that the league does care about head shots... but mostly on star players. had cole hit toews, ovechkin or malkin, you know full well he would not have played another shift that game.

the NHL does care. they just don't care about everyone. not really. cole will be suspended. there's no way he won't be. but i'm willing to bet the farm that it would be worse if cole had hit a star. what the NHL needs to learn (and it never will as long as they have a lawyer running the league instead of someone who loves the game) is that fans care about all of their team's players.