Zac Rinaldo suspended two games for charging
by Travis Hughes on Feb 13, 2012 7:59 PM EST
in Philadelphia Flyers News
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Zac Rinaldo won't be in the lineup on Thursday against Buffalo. He won't be in the lineup on Saturday against Pittsburgh, either. He's been suspended two games for his charging infraction against Jonathan Ericsson of the Detroit Red Wings Sunday night.
The explanation from Shanahan is pretty clear. (Oh, and by the way, if you think there's some sort of conspiracy afoot because Shanahan played for the Red Wings, you need to relax just a bit.) Rinaldo, who has been in trouble with the NHL law very recently, launched himself up into Ericsson. He left his feet before the hit and as the video very clearly shows, he wound up five inches higher than he should have been. That's a no-no.
A lot of Flyers fans are furious about this hit, and I do agree that two games might be a little much. But considering Rinaldo's history -- both during his NHL career and otherwise -- and reputatiion, we shouldn't necessarily be all that surprised.
All he had to do was stay on his skates and deliver the hit to the body and it would've been highlight-reel quality. He got a little too jumpy on this one, and he'll pay the price for it. I'm not sure it's all that grave an injustice, either.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / FEBRUARY 13, 2012
FLYERS' RINALDO SUSPENDED FOR TWO GAMES
NEW YORK (February 13, 2012) -- Philadelphia Flyers forward Zac Rinaldo has been suspended for two games, without pay, for a charging incident in which he launched himself to hit Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson during NHL Game #829 in Detroit on Sunday, Feb. 12, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Rinaldo will forfeit $5,885.88. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
The incident occurred at 13:25 of the first period. Rinaldo was assessed a minor penalty for charging.
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The only way there will not be bias in NHL’s Department of Player Safety is when the chief disciplinarian does not have a son in the NHL, has never played in the NHL, and ideally has no familiarity with the game of hockey.
..
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by Geoff Detweiler on Feb 13, 2012 8:16 PM EST up reply actions
ideally has no familiarity with the game of hockey.
Tracking the Flyers scoring chances at Broad Street Hockey
I know a guy who has never watched a second of hockey. We should give him the job!
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by Travis Hughes on Feb 13, 2012 8:52 PM EST up reply actions
Agreed, Geoff is perfect for the job.
Prepare your sleep apparatus.
On the twitterverse
by jello44 on Feb 13, 2012 9:02 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs
YES!
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Broad Street Hockey - Makin' it look mean since 1967.
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by Geoff Detweiler on Feb 13, 2012 9:03 PM EST up reply actions
Nah. He’d be partial to the Caps players….
goldomatic, who is King in the art of wishful thinking
by goldomatic on Feb 13, 2012 9:04 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
close runner-up to comment of the year
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by Travis Hughes on Feb 13, 2012 9:17 PM EST up reply actions
comment of the year.
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by Travis Hughes on Feb 13, 2012 9:17 PM EST up reply actions
It’s only February…
We shall see
Awaiting the return of the G-stache
"There’s more to life than being really, really, really good at hockey."
-DannyMcG
Suck it, Phaneuf
It worked for Bettman.
Bob.
by The Dark on Feb 14, 2012 9:09 AM EST via Android app up reply actions
The part I really don’t get is how Shannahan referenced how Ericsson wasn’t injured and the role that played in the suspension. I find it hard to believe that if he had been knocked out of the game that would have meant even more games. Seriously how many more games would that have garnered? 5 or 6? That would have been infuriating and something I disagree with in Shannahans whole process.
by PhillyFlyer on Feb 13, 2012 8:30 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Whether it’s a good policy or not, which is certainly debatable, it’s one he’s been enforcing all year.
by everybodyhitswoohoo on Feb 13, 2012 8:31 PM EST up reply actions
And something he said would factor into decisions before the season started.
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by Geoff Detweiler on Feb 13, 2012 8:33 PM EST up reply actions
I can believe that if Ericsson was injured the suspension could have been longer. Rinaldo did exactly what they’re trying so hard to prevent; which is to be in a position to make a good legal hit and then make a conscious decision to throw an illegal one instead. He made himself the poster boy for what they’re trying to remove from the game.
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by DragonGirl0583 on Feb 13, 2012 9:12 PM EST up reply actions
The biggest injury sweeping the NHL is obviously concussions, yet as all Flyers fans well know they are usually not diagnosed until a few days later. Hypothetically, what happens if Ericsson wakes up with a headache today? Then gets diagnosed with having a concussion from the Rinaldo hit.. Does this mean Rinaldo should have been suspended for more games? I guess it only matters if Ericsson was knocked out of the game itself not if he actually got injuried.
It is a good thing Shanahan decided not to punish the Flyers.
Editor at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
If Harry Z doesn’t turn around…
Awaiting the return of the G-stache
"There’s more to life than being really, really, really good at hockey."
-DannyMcG
Suck it, Phaneuf
by Philly37 on Feb 13, 2012 9:03 PM EST via iPhone app reply actions
*get called up (watching the Voice)
Awaiting the return of the G-stache
"There’s more to life than being really, really, really good at hockey."
-DannyMcG
Suck it, Phaneuf
by Philly37 on Feb 13, 2012 9:04 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
been there with watching something and having it mixed into my conversation
by profoundnotions on Feb 13, 2012 9:06 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
I dont disagree with the Rinaldo suspension, but kronwall launched into his hit on Briere with one foot leaving the ice. the only reason both didn’t is because danny b is short and kronwall didn’t have to go that high to hit him.
by profoundnotions on Feb 13, 2012 9:04 PM EST via Android app reply actions
Images in the other thread dispute this.
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by Geoff Detweiler on Feb 13, 2012 9:21 PM EST up reply actions
if thats true I accept it. I watched a video version of it which can be misleading with the speed at which it occurs
by profoundnotions on Feb 13, 2012 9:23 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
Kronwall hit
RE Kronwall: It looks really close but I think he leaves both feet. He certainly raises one to increase the impact which for me is intent to injure. So if you are going to nail Rinaldo I think you have to give K at last one too.
RE: I still don’t buy that that is worth two games. I hope Zack keep his feet down next time.
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by Fr. Orange and Black on Feb 13, 2012 11:50 PM EST up reply actions
The two hits are completely different. Kronwall isn’t guilty of a charge. He came directly in front of Briere, not from the side. And whether he left his feet or not is at best debatable, so I don’t see why people want to compare them.
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by Geoff Detweiler on Feb 14, 2012 8:03 AM EST up reply actions
OT
Freakin Caps Suck. Not complaining but they are just miserable.
Commenter formerly known as M from Pdaddy, but still just Call Me "M"!
DISCLAIMER: Information written above may not be entirely factual nor provable with the use of complex statistics. But it may induce thought, humor and possibly laughter.
They HAVE to turn around for this one.
Awaiting the return of the G-stache
"There’s more to life than being really, really, really good at hockey."
-DannyMcG
Suck it, Phaneuf
by Philly37 on Feb 13, 2012 9:51 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
what’s worse? firing bruce boudreau and having his replacement suck harder. or signing a goalie to a 9 year 51 million dollar contract and still be in playoff contention with all the injuries and goalie woes
by profoundnotions on Feb 14, 2012 8:19 AM EST via Android app up reply actions
Well when you put it that way…
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by Geoff Detweiler on Feb 14, 2012 8:30 AM EST up reply actions
This freakin iPhone app sucks.
Awaiting the return of the G-stache
"There’s more to life than being really, really, really good at hockey."
-DannyMcG
Suck it, Phaneuf
The SBN app? It used to just crash every time I opened it, but I simply reinstalled it and it works great. All it needs now is fanshot capability.
by everybodyhitswoohoo on Feb 14, 2012 12:07 AM EST up reply actions
It really has the possibilities to be great. But there are a lot of kinks to work out still. I use it but it isn’t my fab way to access the site.
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by MJDII on Feb 14, 2012 6:47 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
It’s not that I am not concerned with player safety or with dangerous play, but I think the way suspensions are dealt needs to be changed. Was Rinaldo’s hit dangerous? Maybe a little. Was it called a penalty? Yes, and if the refs thought it was that bad, they could have called it a major. Ericson was not hurt, and it was called a penalty during the game. A suspension in this scenario to me is punishment for a style of play, not for the play that happened.
I go Bananas for Wayne Simmonds.
Would you at least agree that the style of play being punished is dangerous, and thus reasonable to legislate out?
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by Geoff Detweiler on Feb 13, 2012 10:44 PM EST up reply actions
Yes, but if it is appropriately policed on the ice (as it was in this case), the dangerous reckless play of those won consistently play in a style outside of the rules of the game will find themselves with less and less ice time and as healthy scratches or even sent to minor league affiliates. Suspending players isn’t legislating it out, changing rules for more strict punishments is (i.e. 5 minute major for head shots now).
I go Bananas for Wayne Simmonds.
those won consistently play in a style outside of the rules of the game will find themselves with less and less ice time
How much less ice time can Rinaldo get? He’s taking penalties at a way higher rate than anyone else in the league (3.8 minors per 60 minutes of ice time; next highest is 2.9) and has already been fined twice and suspended once in the 285 minutes he’s played.
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Writer at Broad Street Hockey
That is a question for management. If he is hurting the team by taking stupid penalties on a regular basis he shouldn’t be in the lineup. Which is exactly my point.
Suspensions are the chemotherapy to the reckless play cancer. It is treating it after the fact and clearly not always successful. Focus more on preventative medicine in steeper in game punishments.
I go Bananas for Wayne Simmonds.
by bfrank27 on Feb 14, 2012 3:19 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
Preventative is better. But a time when in-game doesn’t work is if the outcome is already decided.
/s, more often than not
by flyersfaninchicago on Feb 14, 2012 3:23 PM EST up reply actions
Not true. You don’t become reckless and stop playing within the rules because you’re losing or going to lose a game. Do teams try to get a little more physical? Sure but that hardly means headhunting opponents with dirty hits with intent to injure
I go Bananas for Wayne Simmonds.
by bfrank27 on Feb 14, 2012 3:53 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
My hockey experience says otherwise. But too lazy to search for supporting evidence so I will bow out.
/s, more often than not
by flyersfaninchicago on Feb 14, 2012 5:46 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t see how you can say in-game actions are better preventative measures than holding someone out a game. But even if I granted you that, how can you complain about the League using two methods to remove reckless play, especially when in game punishments have proven less than successful.
I just don’t understand how you can say in game punishment is sufficient to deal with these types of plays, when that clearly hasn’t been the case.
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Broad Street Hockey - Makin' it look mean since 1967.
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by Geoff Detweiler on Feb 14, 2012 4:14 PM EST up reply actions
I’m not saying that the current rules are severe enough to adequately punish reckless play, I am saying that suspensions after the fact are not as effective as changing the rules governing penalties for reckless plays (like charging or boarding) to be more severe.
I guess I am saying more that the focus shouldn’t be on suspensions after the fact but taking measures through rule changes to reduce the frequency of these types of plays.
I go Bananas for Wayne Simmonds.
by bfrank27 on Feb 14, 2012 5:53 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
Because players care more about penalty minutes than taking money out of their checks?
Man-crushin' on Boucher since 1999 and Matt Calvert since May 2010
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by Geoff Detweiler on Feb 14, 2012 6:20 PM EST up reply actions
Since FFIC and JD have already addressed the content, I’ll go for snark on the form.
You realize that chemotherapy is the best method we have for treating cancer, right? Like with cancer, I’m happy to have research done on better preventative methods, but right now we have a problem and I’d rather treat it after the fact than ignore it and hope it goes away.
@BSH_EricT
Writer at Broad Street Hockey
Its the best method to remove a problem that has grown really bad already. You don’t do chemotherapy on someone because they smoke, you do it because they have already developed cancer from smoking, and you try to get people to stop smoking. But by only handing out suspensions as a way to try to reduce or remove such play from the game, you are not using all available avenues.
I go Bananas for Wayne Simmonds.
Rinaldo was penalized in game for this hit, he was fined twice last week, and he’s been given 5 misconducts. What other avenue is there to use?
You think NHL owners would vote to make charging an automatic 5 minute major rather than suspend them for 2 games? Or is your point precisely that they should do that, and the Flyers aren’t punished enough for this?
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Broad Street Hockey - Makin' it look mean since 1967.
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by Geoff Detweiler on Feb 14, 2012 6:25 PM EST up reply actions
Can't see this as anything other than a double standard.
Tired of this “reputation” bullshit. There’s a word for punishing someone based on their reputation instead of their actions, it’s “bias”. Rinaldo got the penalty he deserved in the game, it only went to Shanahan because of bias. It was a run of the mill charge. See it in a lot of games. See it go uncalled plenty of times. Yes he “launched” into the hit, that’s the difference between 2 for charging and a good clean hit.
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I'm sorry
Kronwall clewarly launched himself to hit Briere too no suspension. Shanny needs to recuse himself from Wings game incidents.
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by Fr. Orange and Black on Feb 13, 2012 11:43 PM EST reply actions
Any word on the Penguins appealing the suspension?
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by JaredL on Feb 14, 2012 1:34 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
rec’d because it took me a minute.
/s, more often than not
by flyersfaninchicago on Feb 14, 2012 12:27 PM EST up reply actions
You know, Shanny really puts things in a way where you don’t get angry at the system or officiating when a suspension hits us. There’s plenty I don’t like about the NHL, but he’s one of the good things going for it.
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by BannedStreetBully on Feb 14, 2012 1:51 AM EST reply actions
As a loyal Wings fan
I’m not a fan of this suspension. i agree with the on ice call of charging, but I feel hit wasn’t targeting the head. There was head contact, but I think that since there was no injury tells me most of the force went into Ericsson’s chest. Since Rinaldo is a repeat offender he was suspended. Its too bad really, I love hard hitting games and as long as nobody is trying to cause an injury or makes a stupidly dangerous hit, I can live with it.
by NorthbayWingsFan on Feb 14, 2012 2:32 AM EST reply actions
First I want to say, I dont thought it was a suspension based on the video I saw yesterday, but if he leaves his feet, thats a suspension. The other is if that is a suspension worthy hit, alot of other hits in this game is suspension worthy because I see players leave there feet several times when they delivere hits through out a game. I even see elbows (Briere’s concussion) there actually injury an player but does not draw a penalty and a hearing.
Also I dont get the length of suspensions. This is first time he is suspended and there was no injury and he gets two games.
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