In the final seconds of Wednesday night’s first-round NHL Playoff game between the Nashville Predators and the Detroit Red Wings, Predators defenseman Shea Weber threw a punch at Red Wings center Henrik Zetterberg.
Then, after failing to land the punch in the back of Zetterberg’s head, Weber slammed Zetterberg’s head into the glass.
Yesterday the NHL’s Department of Player Safety fined Weber $2,500 but did not suspend him.
Failing to suspend Weber was a mistake.
Here’s a .gif of the incident from SBNation:
$2,500 is the maximum fine allowed under the NHL’s current CBA. NHL vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan suggested that Weber got off with such a mild punishment because Zetterberg sustained no injuries. Shanahan also said that Weber’s actions on Wednesday would be a significant factor “in assessing any incidents involving Shea Weber throughout the remainder of the playoffs.”
Shanahan came down harder on Byron Bitz of the Vancouver Canucks yesterday, suspending him two games for a hit Wednesday night on Kyle Clifford of the L.A. Kings. Bitz’s hit, while not as blatant as what Weber did, resulted in injury, and Clifford will miss at least one game.
I’m a Nashville Predators fan who wants nothing more from the next two weeks than to see the Preds eliminate my least favorite NHL team and advance to the second round of the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Considering how well the Red Wings play at home and how vulnerable they are on the road, it is vital that the Preds win tonight and maintain home ice advantage for the series. And winning tonight would have been much more difficult without the services of the Preds’ captain and best player.
That said, I think the NHL should have suspended Shea Weber for Game 2 (and maybe Game 3 as well).
As a Predators fan, I’m obligated to tell you that Zetterberg shot first, hitting Weber from behind. But Zetterberg’s hit, though unnecessary, was mostly harmless.
Weber’s response was reckless and dangerous.
Zetterberg skated away from the incident unscathed, but no one would have been surprised if the scuffle had resulted in a concussion or other head injury. By failing to suspend Weber, the NHL missed an opportunity to make a statement about player safety and what sort of play will not be tolerated.
Shea Weber whispers sweet nothings into Henrik Zetterberg's ear. (Picture by Sanford Myers / The Tennessean)
That’s one reason I wish Weber had been suspended. My other reasons are selfish.
As a fan, I don’t want anyone to get the impression that my team had an unfair advantage.
I’m uncomfortable whenever a big discrepancy in penalty minutes, personal fouls, or penalty yards works in favor of my team. In most situations, I’d prefer to be the victim of a bad call or decision by the league office than the beneficiary. If my team wins, I want there to be no doubt that they deserved the victory.
If the Predators end up winning this series, I don’t want to have to listen to Red Wings fans say, “Yes, but, your best player shouldn’t have played in Game 2.” Granted, after most any game or series, fans of the losing team find something to complain about or identify some reason why their team shouldn’t have lost.
But in this situation, Red Wings fans would be right; and there’s nothing worse than having to admit that Red Wings fans are right.
I’m also concerned about the impact of this incident and the lack of punishment on the rest of the series.
If Shea Weber had pulled this stunt in an NBA game, David Stern wouldn’t let him step back onto the court until 2013. (I exaggerate, but you know what I mean.) The NHL is much more lenient, allowing players to police themselves. And since the league didn’t punish Weber (and $2,500 isn’t punishment for a player who is making $7.5 million this season), I have to imagine that Niklas Kronwall or some other Red Wing will. Then, depending on the severity of the retaliation, I’ll have to worry about what Jordin Tootoo will do in response.
These teams will face each other at least three more times and will have plenty of opportunities to discipline each other. The NHL would have been wise to take that responsibility out of the players’ hands.
Shea Weber will play tonight, and I hope he plays well and that the Predators win. But I’ll feel better in the long run if Weber plays poorly and the Preds lose Game 2 then ultimately find a way to win the series.
About Josh Tinley
As a Wings fan (and not one of those whiny ones eluded to above), thank you for being a voice of reason. Don’t get me wrong, I hate when MY favorite team loses, too…regardless of how they do it. But Weber should have been suspended. Period. If Kronwall or anyone else pulls shenanigans like that, then they should be suspended too.
As you might assume, I’m a big fan of Shanahan, and when it comes to stuff like this, I’d like to always give him the benefit of the doubt. But when this incident is compared to the hit on Clifford….c’mon. Does the league require a guy to be injured to deem a cheap shot a suspensionable offense? If one of the Wings had skated in after the fact and laid the lumber to Weber, you can bet they would’ve been off a game or two. If the league is so focused on protecting against head injuries, how can they let this type of thing go…no matter who does it…”injury” or not. Now I’m all for applying a big hit or dropping the gloves to make a point, but man up and do it face-to-face. That WWE stuff is just plain weak.
And BTW, WHY does everybody dislike the Wings? Seriously. They don’t goon it up, they don’t talk smack in the media, they’re not killing babies in their spare time…what? And before somebody chimes in and blames it on the fans….EVERY team in every sport has “those” fans. You know, the ones who can’t make a comment without dropping an F-bomb or insulting your mother. Is it because they’ve been so successful for so long? Heck, I used to loathe the Gretsky-era Oilers. Why? Because they just kept winning.
I dislike the Red Wings only because they are a division rival who have made life in the Central Division so difficult for the Preds and twice in recent years ousted the Preds in the first round. Nothing against the franchise or its fans. (Although I do sometimes get annoyed by the number of Michigan transplants in the Nashville area who are Red Wings diehards. I don’t expect them to change their team affiliation, but it’s frustrating knowing that a so many hockey fans in middle Tennessee favor the home team’s rival.)
(I meant that as a reply to Scooter, below.)
Understood. There are some Lions fans here who are notorious for being drunken jackholes to opposing fans during games (again, just like every other fan base). Most real fans don’t want those numbnuts “representing” the rest of us.
The video gives new justification to every child who, after a playground scuffle, tells his/her teacher “But HE/SHE started it!” I’ve watched the replay several times and have become more and more angry . . . at WEBER. I, too, am a Pred fan, but his poor behavior should have earned at LEAST a one-game suspension. Now, young hockey fans have learned a lesson: If you have the money, you can buy off your unacceptable behavior rather that face the consequences.
Shea Weber is 6’7″ like 230, if he wanted to really hurt Zetterberg, I think he would have. The hit isn’t really as bad as people are making it out to be, and if you look at the video closely, you can see Zetterberg instigating by trying to elbow Shea’s head into the board. What was Zetterberg trying to gain by instigating with 3 seconds left? He got what he was after, that is, a scuffle.
You can’t compare this hit to Bitz’s hit. Bitz clearly saw the numbers on the back of the jersey and continued to charge straight toward him, elbow first, impacting much harder than Shea hit Zetterberg. The league handled it fine, a suspension would have been overkill and would have hurt the integrity of the series.
Dude, very well written. I can tell that you are not just a fan of the preds but a fan of the game. Kudos to you.
Pjcatala wrote: “Shea Weber is 6’7″ like 230, if he wanted to really hurt Zetterberg, I think he would have…”
Seriously? Maybe this tidbit didn’t make the Nashville paper, but he BROKE Zetterberg’s helmet with that hit. Have you ever tried to break a hockey helmet? Ever notice how many times NHL players hit the glass/boards during the course of a game…all without breaking their helmets? So, according to your logic, head slams are okay, so long as the other guy gets up? If his head had been up, he likely would’ve broken at least his nose, maybe an orbital bone. Save your instigation nonsense…that’s what they ALL say.
The difference between Bitz’s hit and Weber’s: Last time I looked, CHECKING is part of a normal hockey game. Head slams (after the whistle, let’s not forget) I’m pretty sure are not a normal hockey play. Illegal checks get fines….apparently head slams do not. Had the Wings taken the low road and had two guys cart Zetterberg off the ice and then stayed mum about a possible injury, would he have gotten a game? Maybe, but I doubt it. The league doesn’t want to take any team’s [arguably] best player out of the lineup during the playoffs. I bet you were screaming for Bertuzzi to serve jail time for his hit a few years ago. Playoffs are different and Weber was the beneficiary this time. You’re welcome.