The Play’s The Thing

Posted by: Bill S. | January 22, 2012

The Play’s The Thing

I was out Saturday afternoon, so I had to record the game between the Rangers and the Bruins, and it’s a good thing I had to. It gave me an opportunity to re-play the hit by Ference on McDonagh at 3:13 of the overtime period.

Now, before I continue I’ll state for the record that I’ve been watching hockey for a long time. I’ve been a New York Rangers fan for a long time as well, but give me a game between any two teams and I’m there. First and foremost, it’s the game I love.

Given I live in the northeast, and I don’t live in New York anymore, I don’t get a lot of Rangers games on the tube (yeah, I don’t have the extra money to shell out for MSG or NHL Center Ice, so I watch what’s available). I tend to get a lot of Bruins games, and I get to see more Montreal games than New York, but I still follow my blueshirts even if I’m rooting for black and gold or even blue and white.

So I came home late yesterday afternoon, anxious to see how the game turned out. It was both exhilarating and disappointing all at the same time.

The exhilaration came from the continuous fast pace, the constant strategizing between two of the best defensive-minded teams in the league. Trading goal for goal through two periods was an incredible roller coaster of a game, with both teams backed by goaltenders who seemed intent on *not* costing their team a point. The sacrificial lambs on defense gave up a lot of bodily pain in the pursuit of a victory, and I wonder how many Bruins defensemen will be dressing today with serious black-and-blues to be covered with equipment.

But I of course have to address the third period hit by Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference on Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh as they both pursued the puck behind the Rangers’ goal. The hit caused McDonagh to leave the game, his injury still unknown to us at this time. Ference was tossed from the game with a 5-minute major for boarding, an automatic ejection and a game misconduct, and I just now heard that he will also be suspended for the hit, a suspension that will keep him out of tonight’s game against the Flyers, a game where the Bruins could certainly use Ference’s hard-hitting style and smart defense.

But that suspension is a well-deserved one, especially for a player who took his own teammates to task last year for egregious hits. In this instance, McDonagh was trying to get position on Ference as they both raced pell-mell towards the puck just off to Lundqvist’s right. Ference had his head up, he knew McDonagh was facing the boards as they both arrived, and he had an opportunity to avoid the contact completely. Instead, Ference slammed McDonagh right on the numbers approximately five feet from the boards, sending the Ranger defenseman face-first towards the ice and certain contact with the boards.

I believe Ference when he says he did not intend to injure McDonagh, that he did not leave himself time to pull up and avoid the impact at full speed. But Andy, you’re still guilty of boarding, you’re still guilty of a hit from behind with injury resulting. And I agree one thousand percent with Marc Savard, who during a pre-game interview prophetically said words to the effect of, “as long as we keep hitting guys like this regardless of the rules, guys will get career-ending injuries resulting from it.”

Talk is cheap, Andy. If you’re gonna talk the talk, you have to walk the walk too. I’ve seen fellow teammates Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, and even Zdeno Chara ease up when they approach a player in a vulnerable position. You have to always err on the side of caution when you know you have an opponent lined up – is he expecting the hit, can he defend himself? Or is he in a position where you may seriously hurt him? If the former, go ahead and hit him. But if it’s the latter, remember how Marc Savard looked laid out on the ice after Matt Cooke blindsided him.

Think about that while you’re sitting out your suspension.

Remember what Marc Savard looked like yesterday, giving that interview and practically acknowledging albeit unspoken that his career is over.

*Late word is that the NHL has suspended Ference 3 games and forfeit $36k in salary (which goes to the Players Emergency Assistance Fund) for the hit. While Shanahan agreed that there was no malicious intent, Shanahan said of the hit, “It is a textbook example of the boarding rule that was re-written this season to include pushes or shoves, and reflects emphasis upon impact with the boards.”