| 13 March 2009
I follow the Wild very closely by default - my wife grew up in Minnesota and is a Wild fan. She watches every Wild game via Center Ice and I’m usually watching with her (unless the Avs are on at the same time).
That was all just to say that I’m pretty familiar with Cal Clutterbuck. He’s the kind of player that you love to have on your team and you hate to play against. He’s a rookie who is on pace to easily set the NHL record for hits in a single season. He’s more Lappy (hard nosed) than Parker (enforcer) but anyone who is going to set the single season record for hits is going to play on the line and cross it every once in a while.
Cal, a rookie, ran Adam Foote, a veteran. His check sent Footer out of the game with a head injury. Now, no video of this hit seems to exist so its tough to say how dirty it was or wasn’t, but if Foote leaves the game with a head injury, that tells me it was probably high.
Point 1: The NHL needs to outlaw hits to the head. The NHL is the only place these hits are legal. Concussions are serious, serious things and the league needs to protect its players.
So in a tale as old as organized hockey itself, Cal had to answer the bell for his hit on Foote. Enter McCormick. Cross check to the face that left Clutterbuck on the ice for a minute or so. He got a double minor for the infraction.
Enter 6’8, 260 lbs borderline AHL / NHLer John Scott. He wants to go and McCormick (who is 6’3, 215) answers the bell. Watch it.
Point 2: McCormick could have easily declined Scott’s request to fight. Pretty ballsy to go for Cody to got with a guy who has a 5 inch height advantage and out weighs you by 45 pounds. He could have said “I’m tough, but I’m not stupid” and gotten a chuckle from most of the sports writers in the room after the game.
Some Wild fans are questioning why McCormick only got 2 two games while Derek Boogaard got a 5 game suspension for an elbow to the head on a Brandon Prust. Watch it.
Point 3: Boogaard’s hit was unprovoked and in the last minute of a 4-1 game. Prust had also recently returned after missing 10 weeks with a broken jaw.
So, do I agree with the McCormick suspension. Yes. Will the suspension change anything? Nope. If the NHL wants to get serious about player safety, see “point 1”.
The good news in the McCormick / Clutterbuck charade is that no one got badly hurt. Foote will only be out a few games in a dead season, Clutterbuck was back on the ice during the 4 min PP. McCormick will be back on Tuesday when the Avs play in Minnesota and (assuming he isn’t scratched) the media will over hype the event and nothing with happen. The Avs aren’t screaming for Clutterbuck’s blood and the Wild aren’t screaming for McCormick’s either.
Point 4: The code still works. It just gets too messy sometimes.
Notes: Matt Hendricks was sent back down to Lake Erie today. Cody McLeod has been cleared to play for Saturday's game against Edmonton.
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