Clean Bobby Plager hip check?

[blues2112]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=5MJyX_cf3w0

What do you think?

[Hazelwood72]

Looked OK to me, but I’ve noticed other examples they call for penalties as well. I suspect the “modern NHL” is trying to get the hip check out of hockey altogether.

Dave Jackson’s explanation was waffling and vague, as usual.

I wish the NHL would make more of their rules and calls more black & white and not leave so much up to judgment. It’s a hard, fast game and the refs have a difficult enough time without all the gray areas.

[somni]

It's also what is called a low-bridge hit and can be dangerous. It's a bush league play in the game now. Instead of taking a hit face to face, you are putting the player in a vulnerable position to hurt their knees, hips, etc. Careers get altered doing this.

This is a Brad Marchand special and the intent isn't clean. Yzerman took out Pronger doing this...albeit, in a different era.

[Rollin' on the River]

Nothing really wrong with that hit. Good clean hip check. You could argue that it’s unnecessary to throw in 4-0 game though.

[Harry York 37]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=5MJyX_cf3w0

What do you think?

I believe that hit was clean. I don't think the league wants to encourage them because a small error in timing could be dirty.

[LGB73]

The thing that makes it dirty to me is the that you have contact from the back of McAvoy's knee to the buffalo player's knee. You can see the buffalo players knee bow in from the contact. Hits to the knees should definitely be out of the game.

[KarmaFTMFW]

No opinion on the hit, but I wish that pylon Stanley would have gotten pounded.

[Rollin' on the River]

The thing that makes it dirty to me is the that you have contact from the back of McAvoy's knee to the buffalo player's knee. You can see the buffalo players knee bow in from the contact. Hits to the knees should definitely be out of the game.

I don’t disagree. But McAvoy’s other option is to finish the check standing and potentially risk suspension if the hit is deemed high. It’s almost better to low bridge a guy like that than to finish the check standing.

[Blues Dave]

Kinda low. I saw Bobby throw a bunch of them and they were usually higher and he would straighten up at the right time to sort of flip the opponent. It could be dangerous. Especially if one of the players sticks got in the way, which I saw happen causing a pretty bad cut to the opponent. Bobby was immediately hollering for the bench to get the guy some help quick. The league will probbably try to get rid of it. Sticks and razor blades on skates flying through the air probbably isn't a good idea.

[BluesDom]

Who is the next Bobby Plager on the Blues?
or who can throw the hip check like him?
Jiricek can.

[bud white]

Kinda low. I saw Bobby throw a bunch of them and they were usually higher and he would straighten up at the right time to sort of flip the opponent. It could be dangerous. Especially if one of the players sticks got in the way, which I saw happen causing a pretty bad cut to the opponent. Bobby was immediately hollering for the bench to get the guy some help quick. The league will probbably try to get rid of it. Sticks and razor blades on skates flying through the air probbably isn't a good idea.

The hip check has gone away because it can be a very risky move defensively. If you don't time it properly, you're out of position. Add to that the speed of these guys and it's just too risky. And yeah, it can be very dangerous and I agree that the league will phase it out.

(But high hits, intentional elbows and blindside hits - I'm looking at you Wilson, Kadri and Marchand - resulting in concussions, are prefectly acceptable.)

[BluesDom]

https://tenor.com/view/adam-jiricek-spr ... 7191462062

JIRICEK HIP CHECK

[DawgDad]

https://tenor.com/view/adam-jiricek-spr ... 7191462062

JIRICEK HIP CHECK

Oh, yeah. Old time hockey! Forget seasoning, want to see more of this!

[STL fan in MN]

That’s a pretty clear example of clipping by McAvoy there. He fully bent down and hit him in the thighs/knee area. Hits have to be hip or higher to be legal. If the point of contact had been about a foot higher, it would’ve been fine.

Regarding Jiricek’(poop), his was fine for 2 reasons. For one, if you watch closely, the P-Bruins player actually tries to jump him. That’s the main reason he got higher and it caused him to flip. But also, Jiricek just hit him with his butt, with a slight bend at the waist. He wasn’t fully bent over like McAvoy was.

[Harry York 37]

I thought that hit was clean, but as MN pointed out... anything below the hip is capable of ending a season.

Bobby was very aware of cheap and dirty knee hits, as he never forgave Sanderson for a nasty one he received, even after Derek became a Blue.
A "hip-to-hip" check is always groovy.

I think those higher hits are less spectacular, but hurt even more in a "clean" way.