I don't believe this. Link or it didn't happen
Under the current CBA, $2,500 is the max fine a player can be hit with. I find it comical how the NHL will fine Torts a shit ton of cash for speaking the truth yet hits Weber with a "match-play" fine for thugging it up. I understand it's the playoffs but this is the exact thing, (head shots), the league is trying to clear up. It couldn't be more obvious that Weber bulldogged Z into the boards.
Shanahan must have just asked him for whatevers in his wallet on the way out of the arena.
that NHL players are only paid for games, Weber makes a little over $90,000 for the first 82 games per season. He literally got docked two minutes worth of pay to go with his two minute minor.
Edit, the exact numbers: $7,500,000/82/60 come out to $1,524.39 per minute of game time. He got fined less than two minutes of pay, assuming players are only paid for games.
Garth, if I would give you some money out of my wallet, would that ease the pain?
No Doubt this came from the top. Wings will never get a fair shake as long as that little troll is in charge.
that will serve as a deterrent. I bet if it had been Crosby instead of Z, Weber would been sent to a Siberian Gulag.
"This play and the fine that addressed it will be significant factors in assessing any incidents involving Shea Weber throughout the remainder of the playoffs."
So let me get this straight Shanny... He not only got the fine, but he is now on Double Secret Probation too??? Way to crack down on the BS Shanny!
I have officially lost all respect for the NHL. I will still support the Wings till the day i die, but i will not support a league that claims to be all about player safety and then when they have the opportunity to send a message to players and the fans they shy away.
I would love nothing more than to see Weber get his ass laid out in Game 2,but i know Babcock and the Wings are too smart to put themselves in that situation.
the game last night, but the hits were pretty much even. I saw several big hits by the Wings including a couple by Datsyuk and Helm before he left the game. The Red Wings have the ability to be more physical, if a particular game dictates a more physical style of game. I really doubt that Weber won't see some retribution at some point in this series.
And last I checked the Wings do have a guy named Kronwall, who can lay guys out. I would watch out for Kronwall, if I was Weber.
A couple of weeks ago, Shanahan suspends Kyle Quincey for an elbow. Weber pounds Z's head into the Plexiglas... and Shanahan says, "I am going to send you to bed without your supper." ... "and if you do it again Mister, I am going to be extremely cross with you."
It seems the NHL is using the NCAA handbook for punishment.
As somebody from Tsn.ca kindly put it:
"I did a rough calculation. Based on the percentage of Weber's $7.5 million annual contract that works out to about a $23 fine for someone making a modest 70K a year. Not even a parking ticket"
I wouldn't want to be Nashville for the rest of the series. Horrible things happen when you piss off the Wings. Just ask the Colorado Avalanche
NEW YORK -- Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber has been fined $2,500, the maximum allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for delivering a blow to the head of Detroit forward Henrik Zetterberg in Game 1 of the teams' Western Conference Quarterfinal series in Nashville on Wednesday, April 11, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 20:00 of the third period. Weber was assessed a minor penalty for roughing.
"We felt this was a reckless and reactionary play on which Weber threw a glancing punch and then shoved Zetterberg's head into the glass," said NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety and Hockey Operations Brendan Shanahan. "We reached out to Detroit following the game and were informed that Zetterberg did not suffer an apparent injury and should be in the lineup for Game 2.
"This play and the fine that addressed it will be significant factors in assessing any incidents involving Shea Weber throughout the remainder of the playoffs."
The fine money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
Take home notes
-maximum fine
-if a second incedent occurs weber will get suspended
-Z is good to go
what the hell. it should be so much higher
twitter quotes from the media:
Adam Proteau-
James Wisniewski’s suspension cost him $536,585.36. He should’ve smashed Zetterberg in the head 214.634144 times instead!
Habs Inside/Out-
$2,500 fine. For twice wantonly driving a man’s head into the glass w/ violent force. Playoff rules? What a sad joke
Helene Elliott-
Just when you think the NHL might be getting a clue, Weber gets fined but not suspended for atrocious shots to head of Zetterberg. Terrible.
Bruce Arthur-
Shea Weber fined $2,500 for turnbuckling Henrik Zetterburg’s head. Maybe woulda got suspended if he’d hit him with the ring bell, though.
Aaron Portzline-
Weber grabbed Zetterberg’s head and slammed it into the glass like a WWE ‘roid freak using a turnbuckle. It’s absolutely indefensible.
Pa Leonard-
Good thing Shanahan doesn’t do videos for fines. Explanation would sound ridiculous over a replay of Weber slamming Zetterberg’s head
Larry Brooks-
Message from the NHL: You can drive a player’s head into the glass but you can’t curse in a post-game press conference.
Michael Russo-
ummm think if Sidney Crosby got his head smashed only 2500
Steve Simmons-
There are days when I really wish Roger Goodell was in charge of the NHL. Today is one of those days.
David Shoalts-
Man, some days you think the NHL conspiracy theorists are right.
Damien Cox-
$2,500 for turnbuckling a guy’s head, $20,000 for saying mean things about Pittsburgh Penguins. Huh. Okeydokey.
the NHL has had a serious issue with concussions the last couple of years, but yet they allow a player's head to get slammed into the glass. If you want to get serious about protecting the head area, you can't let Weber do that to a guy's head and not get suspended. The guys running the NHL really have no clue what the hell they are doing. I thought Shannahan wanted to crack down on this kind of stuff, I guess not. He may be a former Wing, but I have no respect for the guy after this. Fining a guy, what is essentially less than a parking ticket for that crap. Playoffs or not that crap has no place in the game. Only Preds fans and Wing's haters would possibly defend this decision.
And don't even get me started on the officiating job, that essentially ruined the game for both teams, in terms of the overall flow of the game.
I really hope Weber puts himself in a position to get Kronwalled at some point in this series, that would be great to see. Hopefully the Wings can use this as motivation as well.
really weak. Should have led to a suspension. Period.
had a "whining" option for moderation.
which I would expect a Hawks fan such as yourself to do in a thread about the Wings.
People on this site are always bitching about Crosby crying to the officials (which is a joke in itself) yet are fine with coming on here and bitching and whining about a rough play for an entire thread. Even when approached with the idea that Z elbowed him in the head first...that doesn't matter because it throws a wrench into their bitching.
I'll tell you what most people here remind me of; those people who sit back and watch/criticize hockey but have never played at an organized level in their lives. Hockey is a rough sport, get over it. Sometimes in the heat of the moment players do things like this and it isn't the end of the world. If you don't like the roughness stick to figure skating.
For me it isn't about Crosby or whining. Its the fact that the NHL says one thing and then does something like this that goes completely against what they say. This was a perfect example of a hit to the head that they are "cracking" down on. If it were a Wings player doing this, I'd still say suspend him. This has nothing to do with being rough. This is on par with Bertuzzi on Moore. Only differnence is Zetterberg didn't get hurt. Bertuzzi drove Moores head into the ice from behind, Weber drove Zetterbergs head into the glass from behind. It was hard enough to crack Zetterbergs helmet. That comes via Craig Custance on ESPN. I have the right to criticize in your eyes, as I still play the game.
and than do another. If you want to get head shots out of the game, this is the kind of conduct that needs to result in a suspension. What makes the other hits in the league to the head that resulted in a suspension this year, worse than what Weber did? I am not sure what a couple people in this thread who are calling people "whiners" don't understand about this decision going against what the NHL has said and done all season.
it is hockey there is literally no accountibility for players because they got caught up "in the moment". Give me a fucking break, that play is suited for the WWE not an NHL game, which is pretty obvious regardless of what level you played the game at as fan.
And like I said in another post, you and a couple of others are missing the point completely. The NHL has stated their intent to protect the head area all year and suspended players accordingly. But in this case that somehow goes out the window, even though Weber's conduct was just as bad as any of the players who were suspended throughout the season, in terms of targeting the head. There has to be some degree of consistency, if the NHL wants the message to get through to the players.
Edit: This is in response to Blue Yarmouth's post
Why shouldn't they be outraged? Fighting and this are 2 different things. Fighting is usually done by two willing combantants. Things like slamming someones head into the boards isn't two willing combants. Its cheap ass horse shit, that shouldn't be allowed. And this is what the NHL was telling us all year. This stuff wouldn't be allowed. There is no debate on this one. It was a clear headshot with an intent to injure. I think fighting has its place and should stay in the game. But the last time I checked fighting isn't banned and the NHL didn't say they are banning fighting.
between two players to drop the gloves. Completely different than a player unwilling have his head slammed into the boards.
Like you said there really shouldn't even be a debate about this. It is pretty clear cut given the NHL's reaction/ stance on head shots all year. Instead of using his elbow as weapon, Weber used the glass. There is no difference whatsoever.
I fall into the camp that believes fighting should be banned. What's the difference between this hit and a couple of guys punching each other in the face? You can't tell me with a straight face that there is no intent to injure in a fight between two guys; the very act of fighting is to beat the other guy up.
Furthermore, the game I watched yesterday featured a lot of Zetterberg elbowing people, including the moment before Weber slammed his face against the boards. Again, I believe it was a dirty hit, but could one make the argument that Zetterberg was a willing participant too since he'd been elbowing the whole game?
See where this leads us? Nowhere. You reiterated my original point for me; the culture of fighting/dirty plays in the NHL has to go or it has to be allowed because moments like the dirty hit on Zetterberg will only lead to people complaining and inconsistencies in punishments.
Your logic is dumb to put it lightly. I don't know what game you were watching, but I didn't see Zetterberg throwing elbows. And if I did miss them, they weren't directed at anyones melon. HEADSHOT is the key word. HEADSHOT, HEADSHOT, HEADSHOT, HEADSHOT, HEADSHOT. Again fighting is way different. When fighting occurs players are 99% of the time facing each other, with gloves off, and they know whats coming. There is a big difference and if you can't see that then you my friend are a dumbass. I'm not trying to name call or anything, but c'mon.
and I saw at least 3 or 4 times where Zetterberg either left his feet or elbowed someone. Sure they may not have been directed at Weber's head but they were acts of aggression that no doubt piled up as the game wore on. As for headshots, every time two guys square off they're using their bare fists and hitting each other in the head over and over and over. In my opinion it's just as bad as slamming Zetterberg's head into the glass. Damage can be done whether a guy sees it coming or not.
I do understand the difference between a cheap shot and a fight; Weber's action was a cheap shot. Both of those things are negative actions in a game. However I see both fighting and cheapshots as having no place in hockey. Since fighting is still legal, it's hard for me to cry for Zetterberg getting hit in the head. The intentions with a cheapshot and a fight are the same.
If fighting was outlawed in hockey, Weber would have been suspended. So don't tell me you're fine with a brawl where all 12 players on the ice are duking it out but you don't like it when your player gets a cheapshot. Get angry about the fact that the NHL allows fighting and has inconsistent rules enforcement instead of calling me names.
Nobody would be upset if Weber squared up with Zetterberg and swung. The problem with Weber is that he attempted to injure Zetterberg when he had literally no way to defend himself. Weber is a coward and made a cowardly play, and that upsets a lot of people, unrelated to fighting being legal or illegal.
associated with a sport that defines ones actions with regard to their fighting prowess? He would be ejected in any other professional sports league and likely suspended from playing. The problem is when we define players as cowardly or heroic or whatever because of the way they fight. Hockey is very inconsistent in this respect.
Maybe this is a bad time to make such an argument with emotions running high but I think it's hard to police any kind of violent actions in a sport that allows men to drop their gloves and throw haymakers. In my mind, the larger problem is allowing fighting in the first place.
Maybe you should just stop watching.
I don't see how fighting has anything to do with the play at all. Checking is legal, but that doesn't make it legal to hit someone square between the numbers. Fighting is legal, but that doesn't make it legal to grab someones helmet and slam their face into plexiglass.
April 12th, 2012 at 11:39 PM ^
Lets see squaring up both players or "fighters" have a 50/50 chance to win or defend themselves. Now when someone grabs your head while playing and slams it into the boards thats not a fair fight you don't know its coming at all. In a fight both players have agreed to exhange blows to one another. In Hank's case his back is to the agressor, two hes playing hockey by playing the puck, three Weber makes no effort to play the puck or legally hit Hank with a body check or anything else. He never said he lets take my head to a joy ride into a wall yay! Fighting is actually helpful it gives a guy a chance to see and avoid whats coming. You don't like fighting because its dangerous, that aspect of the game is what makes it so exciting its more risky than most sports. Fighting doesnt promote dirty plays it helps elimnate them.
your a little butt hurt, over something Yarmouth. Please... do tell... what's it like to play organized sports?
I have played organized sports and still I am plenty upset about this. Why? Because it wasn't a rough play in the course of the game. It was a play after the whistle and was not a play at all. It was a clear intent to injure that didn't relate to the play. It also was a chicken shit cowardly play by Weber on a smaller player from behind. The punch I can deal with. You want to know the reason why you never seen "plays" like Weber's? Because it wasn't a play at all. I expect the league to suspend players for dirty plays that are not hockey plays. If not, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with Holmer taking a two hander to the back of Weber's knee, right?
I suppose you wondered why Dale Hunter was suspended for 21 games after his antics on Turgeon. Big mystery, huh?
It blows my mind how non-completely-biased-in-the-Wings-favor Shanahan is when it comes to things happening to the Wings.
The problem with not suspending Weber is that it sends a message to the Wings that they'll have to do their own justice-seeking here. Now, to the Wing's credit, they're not built that way, which is why watching the Wings play has been so enjoyable for the last eighteen or so years.
However, they more than most other teams rely on global disincentives (i.e., something other than the specific threat of an enforcer). The league just failed them, and with them the vision of post-lunkhead hockey.
I'm almost wondering if he doesn't want to be accused of homerism, suspending the guy who took a shot at his former team
this is disgusting... how can the league essentially say that play is ok? im angry.
The lack of discipline for Weber is total BS. Looked like the freaking WWE with that move. Might as well have Babcock tell his players to start slamming heads on the boards in the corners if all they're going to get is 2 minutes and a slap on the wrist fine. Ridiculous.
If you're gonna fine a guy only 2500, just don't fine him at all. I'd prefer that to the league insulting our intelligence by pretending this is actually some kind of discipline.