NHL Suspends Kris Letang for two games

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 18, 2011 4:07 PM EDT

Per Darren Dreger on twitter:

2 game suspension for Letang

The Penguins have re-called Brian Strait from Wilkes-Barre today and they now only have five available defenseman with Letang's suspension and Brooks Orpik not traveling on the road trip.

Last night against the Winnipeg Jets, Kris Letang slammed Alex Burmistrov into the boards and was called for a minor penalty. Burmistrov curled into the hit, but Letang also committed to use his arms to bury a player into the boards. Letang has not been suspended before, but last season he was fined for a boarding hit on Ottawa's Jason Spezza.

Letang will be unavailable for tonight's game against the Minnesota Wild and Thursday's home game against the Montreal Canadiens. Letang will be eligible to rejoin the lineup for Saturday night's game in Pittsburgh against the New Jersey Devils.

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This is some baby back bullshit.

"Hockey is the only tribe I belong to." -Jack Falla
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by AlexStitch on Oct 18, 2011 4:21 PM EDT reply actions

Thats a big ass robot.

by utah pens fan on Oct 19, 2011 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions

bogus.

by Diomedes7 on Oct 18, 2011 4:24 PM EDT reply actions

Shanahans Explanation

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=60&id=128880

by hindsey88 on Oct 18, 2011 4:38 PM EDT reply actions

I wouldn’t want to argue with him though.

"Hockey is the only tribe I belong to." -Jack Falla
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by AlexStitch on Oct 18, 2011 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Watched the video and im still shaking my head.

by #87isGOD on Oct 18, 2011 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Wow, just watched this replay about half a dozen times and I can’t help but think that the onus has to be on Burmistrov on that one.
Yes, Letang hit him with his numbers visible, yes he went head first into the boards but what is Letang supposed to do on that one? I guess not hit him and let him exit the zone. From what I saw, Letang shoots the puck it gets tipped and deflects into the corner where Burmistrov looks like he stops and tries to back up deeper into his own zone instead of heading straight out, hence he turns his back to Letang and gets crunched.
Now call me a homer if you like, but had Burmistrov not tried to backpaddle there’s not even a boarding call on that play. So a marginal call at best by the NHL brass, coming at a most inopportune time for the Pens…

by #87isGOD on Oct 18, 2011 4:38 PM EDT reply actions

yes he went head first into the boards but what is Letang supposed to do on that one? I guess not hit him and let him exit the zone

I dislike looking at a ton of replays, especially slow motion, it makes it look too easy for what a player, in real time, has to make his decisions off of.

That said, I think Letang could have made contact without extending the hit (i.e. watch what Letang’s arms extend and do). That’s excessive.

Combine this with the Spezza hit, and I think they’re sending a message to Letang- cut it out.

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 18, 2011 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Again, I knew that the NHL would at least look at this after I saw it live because it looked bad when it happened. But I still maintain that the onus is on Burmistrov because he puts himself in that vulnerable position.

And look I’m all for player safety (and I agree that Letang does extend his arms on the play)
but the other player (in this case Burmistrov) has to bear some of the responsibility too.

Imagine a scenario where; Malkin is flying into the offensive zone with his head down and i dunno Marc Staal clocks him and there’s contact with his head, is that a headshot? legal hit? who bares the blame? Malkin? Staal? Does Staal have a responsibility to ease up? or does Malkin have responsibility to keep his head up?
That’s where it gets tricky cause if Staal gets the blame then next time i’m Malkin I’m skating with my head down again cause they can’t hit me.
Basically, I’m saying that if playing dumb gets you an advantage players pick up on that and will use it to egt an edge…

by #87isGOD on Oct 18, 2011 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Repeat Offender

still, it’s a pretty ticky tack call to now how have Letang considered a “Repeat Offender” going forward.

Zdeno Chara nearly killed Max Pacioretty (among other things) and he STILL has a clean slate. WTF?

by Diomedes7 on Oct 18, 2011 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Ok, I understand the suspension, but wtf. Letang gets 2 games for this but the hit to the head on Cooke last week doesn’t even get looked at.

"He doesn’t know whether to cry or wind his watch."..... Mike Lange

by Randy F on Oct 18, 2011 4:47 PM EDT reply actions

Great. Now we’re done someone else who can score goals.

by xaryss on Oct 18, 2011 4:55 PM EDT reply actions

done = down

by xaryss on Oct 18, 2011 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Kunitz has 0 goals in 7
Dupuis has 1 in 7
Letestu 0 in 6

Now would be a good time for them to step it up, if only for a game or two.

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 18, 2011 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Ideally yeah but Letestu isn’t a first line center and Kunitz and Dupper don’t have that Kid whatshisname on their line. If the Pens won’t do it, I will (making excuses that it)…

by #87isGOD on Oct 18, 2011 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t see how Shanahan can say that Burmistrov’s path was obvious. It looked to me like he was going to take the puck down the boards into the neutral zone, but instead he started to turn back into his own zone, which left him vulnerable to the boarding. That said, it seems like Letang could have let up on the hit, which he did not. Maybe he should take a few tips from Matt Cooke?

by monge15 on Oct 18, 2011 5:01 PM EDT reply actions

Given Crosby, Malkin, TK, Jeffrey all out for a while and Letang’s 2 gamer….Do you consider calling an offensive player up from WB/S?

Tangradi has 6 points in 5 AHL games so far this year…Just sayin.

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 18, 2011 5:05 PM EDT reply actions

sounds good to me, Hooks
unless they plan to “win” 0-0
they need help from somewhere

by Diomedes7 on Oct 18, 2011 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions

has EVERYONE in the NHL forgotten that hockey is a FAST game?!?!?!?>@$@JFjsjfsiajf

Apparently we need to evolve has a species because obviously something is lacking from our neural signals to motor movement geeez

by Geno McFleury on Oct 18, 2011 5:05 PM EDT reply actions

Couldn’t of happened at a worse time… Letang averaging a point per game and now this. Yes it was boarding but wow… Anvil coming down. Pens chances looking slim tonight.

by STAALKINEAL on Oct 18, 2011 5:16 PM EDT reply actions

Tough break for Letang.

Anyone know what’s on Stan Savran’s forehead ?

"This isn’t fantasy or rotisserie basketball. Why would Denver want Outlaw? Would you?" - Al Iannazzone

by strange-brew on Oct 18, 2011 7:11 PM EDT reply actions

None of this makes any sense

Letang gets two games for…this? But then Smyth and…Sarich I think, don’t get suspensions for blatantly hitting Pens players in the head.

Shanahan’s worse at this than Campbell. This does not bode well for hockey.

by Schide on Oct 18, 2011 8:05 PM EDT reply actions

We've seen this before...

Maybe the same people from the NFL are working with Shanahan?
Or maybe Brendan has been following Goodell to closely.
Harrison and the Steelers’ fines – the Pirates badly officiated game in Atlanta – is this what we have to look forward to in the future? Bias? From a Red Wing no less!

by 21in69 on Oct 18, 2011 9:51 PM EDT reply actions