Steve Downie, still an embarrassment
by Travis Hughes on Mar 15, 2010 2:39 AM EDT
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As a Flyers fan, it's easy to hate Sidney Crosby. In some cases, though, it's also pretty easy to look right past that hate and see the stupidity, the irresponsibility and the lack of everything that is good in an action by another player, even if that action serves as a detriment to Crosby and the Penguins.
Situations like the one that former Flyer Steve Downie put the Penguins star in on Sunday afternoon are ones that absolutely, positively need to be removed from the sport of hockey.
The two were skating along the boards in the Tampa end after Crosby had just passed the puck across ice. Downie was on Crosby's tail, and he slowly tangled his leg with Sid's, bringing the Penguin down to the ice. On closer review, Downie clearly and deliberately lifted his leg, placed his knee behind that of Crosby and pushed. As the two reach the ice, Crosby's leg bends backward in a way legs simply aren't supposed to bend.
That's kind of a rough screen grab, but Crosby's knee is bending to the side here. He's not just in a kneeling position.
For maybe the first time ever, FSN Pittsburgh broadcasters Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey actually got this one right. (Of course, it's a pretty easy call, but I digress.) It's clear intent to injure on Downie's part. There's literally zero reason for him to do this play in this situation, let alone any situation. The puck is 90 feet from the scene of the crime.
There's an argument here for trying to send a message. Downie was going after Crosby after he took exception to a Brooks Orpik hit on Steven Stamkos earlier in the game. There's no video readily available of the Orpik hit from what I can tell, but from watching it on rewind via NHL Game Center, I can tell you that the Orpik hit was more of a case of a guy finishing his check than it was a clear intent to injure.
Should Downie have gone after Crosby if he felt the Stamkos hit was over the line? Certainly. But going after Crosby means laying him out cleanly in along the boards with a clean hit, not popping a ligament in his knee with one of the dirtiest of dirty plays that exist in the sport.
If Downie got a 20 game suspension for his hit on Dean McAmmond, one that was ruled intent to injure, he deserves double that sentence in this situation. He's a repeat offender. He's a reckless idiot. He's an embarrassment to hockey.
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I actually liked Downie when he played with the flyers. He worked really hard and had a good amount of offensive upside (maybe a little more talented than Carcillo), but then all the other stupid things I saw he did started to change my mind. I still thought he would would grow out of it but now I see i dont think it will ever happen.
I remember reading a story about Downie a couple of years ago. It talked about his problems growing up, I believe he may have seen his mother or father die. The story went into how troubled he is and everything. Not an excuse, but I don’t think this guy is all there.
his dad died in a car accident driving to hockey practice when downie was like 7 and he has a hearing disorder and is deaf in his left ear and has to wear a hearing aid. i kinda agree that hes not all there. its sad.
by letsgoflyers on Mar 15, 2010 8:07 AM EDT up reply actions
He left for a shift or two but wound up returning and leading all Pens skaters in TOI by the end of it all.
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That was just flat-out wrong. Hitting a guy hard if he leaves himself open is OK. Going after joints (or head-hunting) is not. That’s the sort of thing that could easily end a career. As harsh as it sounds, I’d be leaning towards an indefinite suspension, subject to the league office determining if he ever figures out how to play within the bounds of what’s allowed.
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
Actually
I don’t really hate Crosby that much, I hate it when he plays us but he is a good player. However, after the Cooke/Savard incident I think its open season on Crosby, as long as Pittsburgh dresses Matt Cooke. Remember the Cooke hit on Leclavier? Has there been a player who has injured more superstars than Cooke in the last 5 years? So in my mind as long as Cooke dresses Pittsburgh deserves to lose Crosby.
This was a ridiculous play, and I’d be happy to see Downie get a long suspension.
I don’t think it happens, though. Assuming the league goes light on Ovechkin (or doesn’t suspend him at all), nailing Downie would just open them up to all sorts of easy criticism. “Oh sure, the superstar doesn’t get suspended, but the guy who hits a superstar gets the book thrown at him, etc.”
It’s not right, but this league is usually all about optics and PR when it comes to these things.
Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.
by Down Goes Brown on Mar 15, 2010 9:35 AM EDT reply actions
I don’t think Ovechkin’s shove is anywhere near in the same league as what Downie did. You have Downie blatantly attempting to take out a guys knee on one hand and Ovi shoving a guy who lost control and went into the boards on the other. You can even see AO with remorse on his face after the hit. Downie is just a punk and deserves to be taken out of the league.
"Good night. Good hockey."
by KreiderDesigns on Mar 15, 2010 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions
If Downie wanted to “send a message” then a hard, but legal, check into the boards would have sufficed. Hell, I would have condemned this play even if he did it to Sean Avery. It’s dangerous and totally unnecessary. In my opinion, plays like this leave a far blacker eye on hockey than fighting does.
I honestly don’t know if Downie is “all there.” It’s a shame. A friend said to me that “Some people should not be allowed inside their own heads without adult supervision” and I think that Downie might be one of these people.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
Downie seems like one of those guys who becomes stupid under stress. On a “normal” shift, he’s perfectly fine. Put him on the ice in a critical situation, and he’s got a fairly high chance of doing the most boneheaded thing possible.
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
don’t think it’s all that bad… they were both holding hands and fell down together and cindy’s instinct to perform a little dramatic acting probably made it worse…
Really?
He positioned his leg behind Crosby’s knee and came down cranking Crosby’s leg until it snapped or popped. That was a blatent attempt to injure and Crosby was in no way “acting” hurt.
it wasnt as blatant as you would think, from a slow motion perspective and the pens outrage, yes it might seem blatant. what’s the injury status on cindy?
by fitzy first on Mar 15, 2010 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Give me a break
you are the reason flyers fans have a bad name. the hit was obviously full of intent and incredibly dirty. calling him cindy and yelling Crosby Sucks makes me ashamed to even root for this team. you are a turd.
by flyers19752008 on Mar 17, 2010 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t like the going after the knees but I would have tried to put Crosby through the boards he had opportunity to really crush him there with a check the fact that Crosby was back on the ice minutes later kinda puts doubt in my mind of how seriously that hurt but looked bad Arguing intent on that one is going to be hard I agree there is intent but being that Crosby didn’t get hurt I doubt there would be a suspension Cooke play was much worse in my opinion he basically throw a flying forearm into the side of Savard’s head and he is seriously injured.
Downie is a piece of shit. Period. He has been since the day he first put on an NHL uniform and apparently he always will be.
Ovechkin whom I used to absolutely love, is clearly a dirty player who just happens to have a ton of skill, and that skill overshadows some of the other stuff he does. He deserves a suspension for what he did to Campbell yesterday. But if he doesn’t get one as is suspected to be the case, then like someone above said…how can you suspend Downie? Well maybe because what he did was one of the 5 dirtiest things I have ever seen or because it was on Sid the Kid. Take your pick. If ever I wanted someone to get a penalty for going after Crosby this is the time. It was so blatantly deliberate that it’s borderline laughable. Thankfully Crosby was not seriously hurt. If he was you best believe Downie would be done for the year. And rightfully so.
Ovie
If Ovie doesn’t get suspended that would be ridiculous that was clearest example of boarding. Ovies arm extended two feet from the boards head 1st. I think he should get 5 games at the least Campbell might be done for the season big loss for the Hawks.
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