Red Wings/Maple Leafs: Will Clarke MacArthur Keep Shanahan Busy?

by J.J. from Kansas on Oct 1, 2011 12:06 AM CDT in Opinion

Is everybody else sick of the head shot debate yet?

No? Well, ok. Here's Clarke MacArthur hitting Justin Abdelkader without the puck nearby in a hit where the head appears to be targeted and is definitely the principal point of contact. MacArthur was given two minutes for hi-sticking while Abdelkader earned himself a matching minor for a retaliatory cross check.

This one looks pretty cut-and-dry. What mitigates things here? Is the hit late? Does Abdelkader skating in a crouch constitute him putting himself in a vulnerable position? Does it even matter without the puck being there? Should Abdelkader be expected to be targeted for contact?

Abby doesn't seem to be any worse for wear, so we're definitely not looking at five regular season games territory, but are we looking at anything more than what Brad Boyes got? Should we even be looking for that? What, if any effect should the fact that Abdelkader appears to embellish the hit have on any decision?

For MacArthur's history, he has none. While with the Buffalo Sabres, he did draw some attention for a boarding hit on the Oilers' Liam Reddox, but he was not suspended for the act and it's my opinion that the outcome of the play was an unfortunate accident (you can see the video and the post about it on Die By the Blade here). MacArthur was also quoted in an article from the Toronto Star this March questioning the NHL for failing to suspend Bruins' captain Zdeno Chara for his hit on Max Pacioretty which fractured one of Pacioretty's vertebrae and left him with a severe concussion.

"He broke his neck and no (suspension) — I don’t know what that says," MacArthur said.

I don't envy Shanahan here. The suspensions keep coming and so do the hits, to the point where people are getting tired of dealing with it.

Still, a head shot is a head shot and whether or not MacArthur is a dirty player (he isn't), this is what we're trying to eliminate from the game and once Shanahan started the ball rolling, to stop it would be disastrous. We set the over/under on the Brendan Smith suspension at 6, I'm going to set this one at 1.5. This one looks no more intentional than Brad Boyes' hit on Joe Colborne and seemed to be slightly lighter contact.

What do you think? Should he be suspended?

Tweet Comment 22 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I actually missed this but that certainly looks like a hit where MacArthur’s not throwing an elbow but IS targeting the head with his shoulder. It was totally unnecessary which is a shame because MacArthur’s never done anything like that as a Leaf.

Having said that, good lord Abdelkader, it’s not soccer. No need to throw your arms up and flail around like you were shot.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Like reading thoughts confined to 140 characters? I'm on Twitter too.

by PPP on Oct 1, 2011 12:18 AM CDT reply actions

Yeah, my feed cut out right before this happened and I had to scramble to find a way to get back just in time to see the game-winner.

This would be a much easier decision if it were Colton Orr or Colby Armstrong laying this check. It just seems out-of-character for MacArthur.

Abby’s dive pisses me off too (and didn’t make Mickey Redmond too happy either). If the league is already looking at the video, I think a warning would be in order.

by J.J. from Kansas on Oct 1, 2011 12:24 AM CDT up reply actions

I think he should get at least two games. Kypreos said the league’s looking at it so that’s what I expect. No record will help.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Like reading thoughts confined to 140 characters? I'm on Twitter too.

by PPP on Oct 1, 2011 8:00 AM CDT up reply actions

Kind of bull shit

that he didn’t get a penalty for the interference/head shot because abdelkader didn’t get hurt. What a ridiculous dive by the way.

DETROIT RED WINGS – "war were declared"
Twitter - @TheIngles22

by Eric @ PRBU on Oct 1, 2011 8:04 AM CDT reply actions

MacArthur Hit

MacArthur has no history when it comes to “dirty” play. Neither did Brendan Smith.
Look at both replays and tell me they’re not similar?

by Jerome Kenny on Oct 1, 2011 8:19 AM CDT reply actions

Yeah, there's a definite similarity

Brendan Smith was going a lot faster than MacArthur and there wasn’t an injury. I can’t decide between 1 or 2 games. I’d be shocked if it went above 3.

Here’s the Kypreos Tweet (@RealKyper):

#Leafs told MacArthur faces further supplementary discipline for head hit on #Redwings Abdelkader late in gm. 12 pm #NHL hearing today.

by J.J. from Kansas on Oct 1, 2011 8:31 AM CDT up reply actions

What the hell?

Have these hits always happened this frequently? Are we sure teams are getting the English version of Shanny’s video?

Fan of the Detroit Tigers, Lions and Red Wings.

by Elfuego51 on Oct 1, 2011 8:46 AM CDT reply actions

Consistency

Isn’t it amazing that we’re actually discussing NHL discipline and how there’s precedent for a certain type of play being suspended.

I think he gets a couple of games like Boyes did. It’s a hit where the head is the principle point of contact blah blah blah, but no injury means less of a suspension.

C’mon Abby. What the hell kind of dive is that? You got hit in the head; no need to embellish the shit out of it. You’re not a Canuck.

Winging It In Motown

by Amerinadian on Oct 1, 2011 9:13 AM CDT reply actions

He wasn’t skating fast and the puck was nowhere nearby, so he had every opportunity in the world to not hit Abby at all, but consciously chose to throw a shoulder into him, though not necessarily with the intention of hitting the head.

I don’t even know how to process Abby’s embellishment because, quite frankly, what the hell kind of embellishment is that? The spinning fall isn’t embellishment. The hit legitimately corkscrewed him. But who throws their arms up like that while falling? It seems more like a “WTF REF” than it does an “OMG I HAVE JUST BEEN VIOLATED!”

by Rat A Tat on Oct 1, 2011 10:03 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs

When I say “dive”, I’m referring to the hands up, spinning dramatically fall. There’s no question he was hit in the head, but I think his overreaction was too much.

Winging It In Motown

by Amerinadian on Oct 1, 2011 11:37 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

I get that

I agree that he embellished, but I don’t think the fall itself was an embellishment, just the arms, and I don’t comprehend how someone even decides “I’m going to embellish this hit, and I will do so by throwing my arms up in an outrage.” It just looks odd to me.

by Rat A Tat on Oct 1, 2011 12:08 PM CDT up reply actions

Guys, have you even read this blog before?

That’s how Abdelkader usually holds his stick.

by shanny14 on Oct 1, 2011 12:20 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

...

…

Well played.

by Rat A Tat on Oct 1, 2011 1:42 PM CDT up reply actions

Suspension

No doubt in my mind.

Pension Plan Puppets
I hope YouTube comes down to film this.

by birky on Oct 1, 2011 12:00 PM CDT reply actions

UPDATE

Per Damien Cox on Twitter:

One plus two for MacArthur. Leafs not happy.

About what everyone expected, and in line with the Boyes hit where it’s not a hard hit and no injury resulted. Can’t really understand why Leafs not happy, but they are defending their player, just as Babcock did with Brendan Smith.

Winging It In Motown

by Amerinadian on Oct 1, 2011 12:44 PM CDT reply actions

Man I didn’t think Marky Clark was capable of this but yeah that’s suspendable. There’s really no reason for him to do that at all. Now we’re going to be ultra depleted for our season’s start. Way to go Clark!

By the way Detroit fans. I really hope they re-align you back with us because I really miss the rivalry.

October 25, 1966. Thank you Lord Kelvin

by Chuck Diesel on Oct 1, 2011 1:09 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

We can only hope

Somehow, I think the midget will mess it up.

by Big Z in Orlando on Oct 5, 2011 1:52 PM CDT up reply actions

I must be using a different definition of "dive"

To me, diving is when you go out of your way to be taken down. Sure, Abby threw his hands up, but that’s more of a “wtf refs call that” reaction than a “I’m going to fall on purpose.” Would it have been different had he done it when he got back to his skates?

I dunno, I guess reasonable men could differ on that, but I think a little exasperation on Abby’s part is probably justified there. It’s not like he dropped to the ice like Thornton in last year’s WCSF.

No Limits.

by arkanfel on Oct 1, 2011 1:11 PM CDT reply actions