Dustin Brown: The Hits

Rich, I just heard on NHL Live that the league has rescinded the “automatic” one game suspension on Morrow for instigating a fight in the last minute. That, I would think, bodes ill for Brown. Last night, Larry Murphy on NHL On the Fly said that he thought Brown’s hit was worse than Kostopolis’ hit on Van Ryn which got him a three game suspension. But then how can you give any credence to a guy who looks like Howdy Doody?

According to TSN the suspension to Morrow has been rescinded : http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=255599&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_nhl

TSN reports no suspension to Morrow.

Brown tried to curl out from the direct hit after Ribeiro turned. I thought that the hit was shoulder to shoulder. It is rather ironic, but I would have liked to have seen the RSV on this one.

According to TSN there will be no suspensions on the play. That goes for Morrow as well as Brown.
http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=255599&lid=sublink02&lpos=headlines_main

Did I just see Robidas go 5-hole on Labs on that first hit???

ON the second...it was purely a clean hit...and NOT worthy of a penalty OR a suspension...

I like Brown. It's unfortunate he didn't check him through the boards.

Two observations: (I was at the game)
1) That was a very questionable boarding call; Ribeiro turned away when he saw Brownie lining him up and
2) Neither ref had a hand up after the hit to call the boarding. It wasn't until after the dust settled that the call was made.
No suspension is warranted.
Great win!
L.A. was 2-0 against Dallas last night!

Maybe I am being too cynical, but does anyone else think the league forgave the suspension on Morrow to raise the TV ratings Thursday?

I love the reaction of O'Donnell on the 'bench' hit. He's looking at Robidas like, "What are you doing here dude? This isn't your bench you friggin idiot."

Ribeiro did NOT turn away from Brown to get away from him. The momentum of the shot caused him to spin.

Wonder what Avery thinks of all of this? Perhaps we'll find out Thursday.

Ok not related to the hit but related to Ribero. Why did that shootout goal count to me it looked like to hits. I was at the game and everyone thought the same thing I have seen the replay here:

http://withleather.uproxx.com/?p=11657

And it still looks like 2 touches of the puck, not one fluid motion

theleague rescinded the suspension and fine for Morrow and Tippett. it doesn't look like Brown will get suspended.
Good move all the way around by the league. While Morrow did instigate the fight, he had to do it to stand up for his guy. No way he should have been suspended.
He had good things to say about Brown after the game. I guess most people in the league realize what a stand up guy Brown is. You never here anyone call him a dirty player..just a menacing hitter.

Burke is out as GM of the Ducks. He's free to get another job in the league..this year!

NHL network also mentioned that Brown is not a dirty player. The hit just seemed like a bad coincidence. It just seemed like Brown didn't expect Ribeiro to do a full 360 turn and couldn't slow down. Even though the hit wasn't intent to injure, it was a hit from behind and I think the refs and the league got it right with 5 min. major and no suspension.

BTW, I would still feel the same way even if Dallas had scored on the PP last night.

I think Brown deserved the 5 minute major and I think Morrow does not deserve the 1 game suspension. I think every party involved did exactly what they should have done, from Brown, Morrow, the officials and the NHL.

If the roles were reversed and that was Stoll who was bloodied by Morrow on a questionable hit along the boards the comments here would overwhelmingly be calling for a Morrow suspension. And at the same time we, as Kings fans, would have wanted a King to step in and challenge Morrow.

The "suspension for an instigator during the last 5 minutes of the game suspension rule" was put in there to stop coaches from putting goons out to pick fights in an already decided game, not to prevent a first line winger from protecting his center during a tied in-division game.

The hit by Brown wasn't what I would term "dirty", but since Ribeiro twisted around and at the same time was so close to the boards, a penalty had to be called. By no stretch of the imagination do I think the hit makes Brown dirty. I wholeheartedly think he would have pulled up early if he knew Ribiero would twist around like that.

damen. Rules are rules. Upon further review Brown wasn't guilty of anything and Morrow is. If its a bad rule, get rid of it. Why do sports have to have different rules for different times in the game? Its the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. If a player comes off the bench to help a teamate in distress, he's going to be suspended - why is it any different if a player on the ice does it when there's rule against it at the end of the game?

I don't think I have ever seen a captain on captain fight. About as rare as an Albino Bigfoot.