The Insanity of Intent, the Outrage of Outcome

The NHL has deemed there will be no further discipline meted out to Zdeno Chara for his brutal hit that drove Max Pacioretty into the stanchion of the glass between the benches at the Montreal home game against the Boston Bruins. One can debate the punishment, or lack thereof, until you're blue in the face and can make  arguments for both sides. These arguments, however, are pointless and will continue to be an exercise in futility until the NHL resolves how these hits are fundamentally viewed by the League itself.

The League has placed itself in a no win situation with these types of hits, and subsequently subjects its players to continued peril, by adopting a purely subjective standard called "intent". Furthermore, "outcome" is often used as a measure of determining the type of punishment, if any, that is doled out to a player that executes a borderline or dangerous hit. It is no wonder that we continue to see these types of hits and dangerous play with these nebulous standards in place.

Let's look at intent for a moment. Even the most egregious offenders when it come to dangerous hits, from a tearful Todd Bertuzzi after his hit on Steve Moore or Matt Cooke after his devastating hit on Marc Savard, never say that it was their "intent" to hurt another player. Who is to say, and how is the League to judge, what intent might be in any situation? What happens in that split second on the ice and at top speed is impossible to judge as to intent. When one player has another lined up for what could be a questionable hit, how is the League judging intent? Maybe previous occurrences of reckless behavior? Even that is a poor gauge of intent. Could the player have pulled up? Again, a split second decision in the heat of the moment, and the thought processes are known only to the player.

So how does the League determine intent? I would submit that they cannot, and any attempt to do so is just a wildly speculative guess on their part. Even worse, it establishes such a vague basis for judging these types of hits or plays that it is essentially no standard at all.

Every parent has had the situation with their children where something goes wrong, and one of the first things out their innocent mouths is "I didn't mean to..." We as parents know that judging intent is next to impossible. More often than not, "I didn't mean to" translates into "I didn't think something bad would happen."

What the League is doing with the vague standard of intent is in essence saying "I hope nothing bad happens." That is going to lead to a disastrous outcome on the ice, and is just insane.

For the players that are playing at full speed in an intense game, there have to be clear boundaries. This is never more true when there is the potential for a dangerous hit. Would Chara have pulled off Pacioretty if he knew clearly what the fate was for riding him into the stanchion? I don't know. I do believe that if players had more clearly defined boundaries and consequences for crossing those boundaries, then these types of incidents would occur less frequently.

The other aspect of these types of plays is using the outcome of the hit to determine the severity, if any of the punishment. In a word, this is outrageous. We all have witnessed players that were the victims of dangerous hits who, fortunately were able to get back up. In determining the level of discipline, the League has said something to the effect that "the player wasn't seriously hurt" and that fact mitigated the level of punishment. This standard, in my estimation, continues to invite these types of hits. Run a player and hope he gets up. If he does, you get nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

Regardless of outcome, a dangerous hit is a dangerous hit. For the League to fail to acknowledge that and let outcome mitigate the punishment due the offender is taking what should be a hard and fast standard and making it is essence non-existent. A five minute boarding major for one player becomes a multi-game suspension for another player, depending on the extent of any injury. The unequal application of the punishment for the types of hits is obvious. The environment that this creates is unacceptable and is an outrage.

As long as the NHL persists in using these nebulous and subjective standards, we will continue to have these types of hits and the resulting dangerous injuries to players. It is time for the League to get rid of the canard of judging a player's intent and looking to see what damage was done before deciding the level of punishment. For these types of hits to be greatly reduced and player safety improved, the League has to adopt clearly defined standards. More importantly, there has to be a consistent application of those standards, regardless of the offender.

Do this, and you will restore a measure of sanity to the game we all love.

Flames Frustrate the Predators (Again) 3-2

The Calgary Flames swept their season series with the Nashville Predators, handing them another frustrating one goal loss in a 3-2 home ice victory. This was a game that started well for the Predators and quickly fell apart.


The Predators opened the scoring at 2:47 of the first period as Marty Erat gathered in a rebound of a Jonathan Blum shot and powered the puck past Mikka Kiprusoff as he was being knocked to the ice. Blum did a great job of getting the shot through traffic and Erat was doing the dirty work in front of the net that the Predators have to do to score.

Calgary would tie the game at 7:15 of the first while on the power play with Jonathan Blum in the box for tripping. It was one of the craziest goals that I have ever seen, as the shot from Mark Giordano was weakly shot toward the net. The fluttering puck would hit the stick of Ryan Suter and then Shea Weber, changing direction and floating over the shoulder of Pekka Rinne. Rinne looked at his two defensemen with a look that could only be described as exasperated.

The Predators would regain the lead at 15:58 of the first as Ryan Suter fired a shot from straight away on the point. Joel Ward and David Legwand were screening in front and Kiprusoff never saw the puck until it was in the back of the net.

As the first period ended, the Predators had to feel good about their effort against a team that has been their nemesis all season.

Perhaps they felt too good.

The Predators were absolutely dominated in the second period as the Flames outshot the Predators 13-4. The Flames would tie the game early in the second as Sergei Kostitsyn would hook down Jerome Iginla on a breakaway. Iginla was awarded a penalty shot and he would beat Rinne five hole just 59 seconds into the period.

The Flames controlled the action for the entire period, and frankly if not for the stellar play of Rinne, the Predators would have been run out of the Saddledome. The Predators offense would completely disappear in the second in what has been a troubling characteristic of this team all season- disappearing for a period at a time in a game.

The troubling trend of a missing in action offense would continue for most of the third period. Although the final shot count was 14-10 for the Flames, for much of the period the Calgary offense controlled the play. The shot total only looks as good as it does because of a late flurry by the Predators.

Calgary's offensive pressure would pay off in the game winning goal by Curtis Glencross at 10:23 of the third period. Ollie Jokinenwould fire a shot a Rinne, who made the initial save, but gave up a rebound. Glencross was crashing the net unimpeded and tapped the puck into an open net past an out of position Rinne.

One felt that the way the Predators offense had failed to produce that this goal would suffice for the margin of victory.

Unfortunately, that proved to be the case.

For much of the night, the Predators found themselves on their heels and let Calgary gain the zone with speed. This forced the Predators back and they did not counterattack effectively. This team does not have the ability to just turn on the offensive flow, and when they are pushed back defensively, the offense seems to continually get stymied.

This was a wasted opportunity to gain two precious points, and opportunity squandered when the offense went into a shell in the second and third periods.

For this team to make the playoffs, they are going to have to understand that it is a full 60 minutes of flat out, balls to the wall hockey. Failure to play that way and they will find themselves on the short end of the score more often than not.

It is beyond waiting for other teams to falter. Now is the time to turn it on and play your way into the playoffs.

There is no other way.

My three stars:

1. Curtis Glencross

2. Ryan Suter

3. Mikka Kiprusoff

Some More Random Thoughts From the Road

If you have had an opportunity to visit with J.P. Dumont, you know that he is one of the most personable and genuine guys there is. J.P. has an ethic that leads him to be involved in many charitable and community activities, often without any fanfare. Yet J.P. has run afoul of the coaches with his play of late. Saturday night at Vancouver, J.P. was not even dressed for the pre-skate. There is no doubt that J.P. has talent and could be a positive contributor for the Predators. However, with the emergence of some of the younger players, notably Blake Geoffrion, I am unsure if J.P. is going to see the ice for a long time.

On the return flight out of Vancouver, I had a chance to sit with Justin St. Pierre, the referee who was injured in the contest with the Canucks. St. Pierre suffered a broken ankle in a collision with several players along the boards. I asked him if he was going to have to have surgery, and his reply was that he would not know until after he spoke with the team doctors for the Blue Jackets. Curious, I asked why he was visiting the team doctors for Columbus, and he told me that is where he lives. He went on to say that he didn't really care to live in Columbus, being a native of Quebec, but that was where the NHL told him he had to live. Apparently, the League disperses its officials across different geographic locales to minimize travel disruptions due to weather or other reasons, and Columbus was chosen as his billet.

The Rogers Centre was sold out, but it was an amazingly docile crowd. Very little cheering save for an occasional "Go Canucks Go" chant. Compared to the boisterous atmosphere in the Bridgestone Arena, the Rogers Centre seemed like a church. Fans of the Predators should know that there are very few in game experiences like the one we have in Nashville.

We think of the road as being tough on our guys, but I can tell you they relish these trips to Canada. For many, it is an opportunity to re-unite with family and friends and have time to visit. I had the occasion to meet several family members and friends of the players and coaches that had traveled to Vancouver to see the team and the game. You could tell by talking to some of the players that they enjoyed being close to home.

Although the team bus broke down in Edmonton, the Predators rolled with the punches thanks to the effort of Director of Hockey Operations Brandon Walker. If you don't know Brandon, he is the man that coordinates all the travel arrangements and logistics for the Predators, both at home and on the road, and is a genuinely nice guy. Once it was determined that the bus was not salvageable for the trip to the airport, the ever resourceful Brandon got on the phone and had 30 taxis brought to Rexall place within the hour and cabbed the team, coaches, and support staff to the charter plane. I spoke to Brandon in Vancouver about the debacle with the bus, and although he could laugh about it then, he said it was frantic for a while.

Speaking of travel, I have had the good fortune to ride on the team charter. The seats are roomy, the plane is always ready for the team after the game, and the players avoid the hassle of going through an airport terminal as they are loaded onto the plane at a charter terminal. Although the long road trips can be tough, the players are well accommodated with their travel arrangements. I appreciate how the guys are treated after this trip after enduring a canceled flight on the way to Seattle and a four hour delay in Chicago on the way back.

Travelogue- Seattle and Vancouver

Mrs. View and I had an opportunity to travel to Seattle to meet an exceptional person and great blogger, Su Ring, who is on twitter @motley_su. She was our gracious hostess and tour guide around Seattle.

Su covers the the Western Hockey League action for SB Nation. Here we are at Salty's, a great local seafood restaurant

The restaurant was across the harbor from downtown Seattle. This is the view of the Seattle skyline from the restaurant.

Mrs. View and I then drove to Vancouver and joined the team at the team hotel. This is the view of Vancouver harbor from our room.

The view from our room, looking north at Stanley Park and North Vancouver.

The baby zamboni re-surfacing the public ice rink at Robson Square in downtown Vancouver. The rink is actually in an open air mall that is below street level.

This is the Vancouver Public Library in downtown. It was a magnificent facility.

Canada Place, which was the site of of much of the anchor desks for the Olympic television coverage. Canada Place sits right on the harbor and includes a five star hotel.

A view of Vancouver harbor from the waterfront. The freighters like the one in the picture were constantly plying the harbor.

Mrs. View and I at the marina by the hotel.

Seaplane taxis fly in and out of the harbor throughout the day. They ferry people to Victoria Island and points westward.

Rogers Centre is tucked in among light rail stops and local highways. This is the view from the metro stop outside the arena.

The inside of the Rogers Centre. The tall vertical screens are used in the opening activities as screens onto which are projected images of the team and the players. They are retracted into the rafters once the game begins.

Another view of the Rogers Centre scoreboard and retired numbers.

Representing for the Predators.

As you can imagine, the Canucks fans had a "warm" welcome awaiting Shane O'Brien. One fan was holding up a sign that asked Shane if he wanted to meet him at the Roxy after the game. That was the local bar that Shane was known to frequent while in Vancouver.

Predators in the pre-skate.

Pekka warming up before pitching a shutout against the Canucks.

Shea practicing his glare and waiting to get his snarl on.

Blake Geoffrion at the pre-skate. He played a solid game against the Canucks.

The Vancouver area is one of the prettiest areas in Canada. The downtown is vibrant and clean, although it does have an abundance of panhandlers. Getting around downtown is made easier by the Metro. Parking around the arena is virtually non-existent as the arena is jammed into a tight area between highways and train tracks.

I would highly recommend that if you ever have a chance to get to a game in Vancouver that you do so. It is a trip that would be well worth your time.

My View

Random ruminations from your resident curmudgeon....


The drama between public sector unions and government leaders that want to downsize them is playing out all across the country in dramatic and often angry fashion. Wisconsin presently serves as a flash point in this process, and it remains to be seen if Governor Scott Walker and the Republicans in the state legislature there have the fortitude to push through the reform of public sector unions. I hope they do. Public sector unions have been a disaster for our nation. Now before you accuse me of union bashing, I want to say that my Dad was a union man for over 40 years, and he benefited from being in the union. Here is the distinction that should be brought out in this debate: private sector unions were created out of necessity, often times to rectify horrid and unfair working conditions. Work rules to make the job safer and create a system of fair compensation within an industry benefited many workers in the private sector. Public sector unions, by contrast, have not faced horrid and dangerous work conditions (police and fire service employees excepted) and have negotiated salaries and civil service protection. In fact, there were no public sector unions in this nation until President Kennedy, by executive order, lifted the ban on such unions. The reason? Pure politics. This was a move designed to benefit the Democratic Party. And it has worked, magnificently for them. Public sector union membership skyrocketed and in turn, so have their contributions to the Democrats. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, from 1989 to 2004, members of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) gave $40 million to candidates in federal elections, 98.5% of which went to Democrats. Think about this: private sector unions fight with management over workplace safety and working conditions and for an equitable share of the company profits: public sector unions fight with government leaders over over taxpayer money, which always puts a public sector union at odds with you and me. These fights are not about collective bargaining privileges; instead they are about pushing government workers away  from the unfettered access to your wallet. Remember: it's ALWAYS about the money.


There is always going to be death and taxes, however, death doesn't get worse every year.


Lest you think I am bashing unions and government workers, consider this: in the 2010 mid-term elections, three public worker unions- the aforementioned AFSCME, the Service Employees International Union, and the American Federation of Teachers- gave $198 million dollars to to the Democratic Party and its candidates. This is money that has been transferred through the tax system and in payment for negotiated contracts to the employees of these unions. When a municipality or a state negotiates a contract with a public sector union, that contract is paid through our tax dollars. And in turn, our tax dollars are flowing back to the Democratic Party and their candidates. Frankly, this smacks of money laundering or at the very least unjust confiscation of our funds. How so? Elected officials negotiate sweet contracts with public sector unions, who in turn with a wink and a nod funnel money back to the elected officials- almost exclusively Democrats. And folks, this is why Democrats in Wisconsin have abdicated their sworn duty as elected officials. This is why this fight is so vicious across the country. This is an attempt to stop the gravy train, the racket that liberal politicians and their sycophants in public sector unions have enjoyed. It is about the money.


People in life are always trying to get even. Not me. I just get odder.


Currently there are 28 states that are suing the federal government to stop Obamacare. The administration has dug in and is doing everything it can to force this monstrosity on the American people. Well, not ALL the American people. There have been a few entities that have received waivers that allow them to operate and exempt their members from participation in Washington's socialized medicine scam. Who are they? I'm very glad you asked. Some are: the United Federation of Teachers; Service Employees International Union local 25;  the Carpenters Health and Welfare Fund, just to name a few. Notice anything here? Ah, you are very observant. Public sector unions. In fact, 44% of all current waivers are going to public sector unions (many waivers are going to large employers that self insure), who will avoid altogether the devastating effects of Obamacare. Some of the very entities that were vocally in favor of Obamacare- the public sector unions- are some of the first to ask of the program. Why? They know what shoddy coverage and care will be available under Obamacare and they don't want it. They do want a greater transfer of power to the federal government, which in turn translates to more power and money for these unions. I cannot say this enough: if you want to know what is really happening in Washington or at any level of government, ALWAYS follow the money.


As someone who is married, I have learned to forget my mistakes. There is no sense in two people remembering.


And that, my friends, is my view.

Predators Blank the Canucks 3-0

The Nashville Predators rolled into Vancouver in desperate need of a win after struggling to establish consistent momentum over the past few weeks. The task at hand was going to be monumental as they were facing the number one team in the Western Conference in the Vancouver Canucks. Looking at the talent on the ice and the level of play from both teams, this game appeared to be ready made for the Canucks to grab a win before they start a long road trip.

Problem is, when you compare two teams, you can't measure heart.

The Predators exhibited heart, grit, and mental toughness in shutting out the Canucks 3-0. This was the first time that the Canucks have been shut out on home ice this season.

Pekka Rinne stopped all 29 shots he faced, and some of his saves were outstanding. The play of Rinne has been solid all season, but he is elevating his game to another level, and this will always give the Predators a chance to win games.

The game started as a tight checking defensive contest, with each team thwarting the offensive flow of the other. The Predators offensive effort did not get untracked until after the halfway mark of the first period, when Nashville finally recorded their second shot on goal at 9:29. For the period, Vancouver outshot Nashville 11-8.

Rinne made some great saves in the first period to stymie the Canucks, notably stopping Henrik Sedin from the slot. Vancouver's Roberto Luongo had to make a few good saves as well to keep the Predators off the board. However, for the most, both teams were playing suffocating defense and limiting offensive chances.

The second period was a scoreless defensive struggle as well, but both teams had chances in the last five minutes. Mason Raymond rang a puck off the pipe, and just 40 seconds later Jordin Tootoo hit the crossbar. Scoreless at the end of two periods, it was going to be interesting to see which team would crack.

It would be the Canucks that cracked first, as Blake Geofrion cruised into the slot and took a pass from Jordin Tootoo from behind the net. Geoffrion lifted the puck over the shoulder of Luongo to make it 1-0 Predators just 1:59 into the third.

A one goal lead against the explosive Canucks is not one that can make you feel comfortable. The way that we were playing defense, you had to believe that if we had one more goal, this game would fall into the win column for the Predators.

That goal would come at 17:39 as a scene that was all too familiar to Predator fans would unfold in the Canucks defensive zone. Dan Hamhuis would *cough* *hack* up the puck to Patric Hornqvist, who made a great effort to strip the puck. Hornqvist broke in alone on Luongo and undressed him with a sweet move for his 18th goal of the season. Hornqvist continues to battle and bring it every night, and it was good to see him rewarded for his effort.

David Legwand would add an empty netter at 19:25 for his 11th goal to cap the scoring, and as improbable as it seemed, the Predators had clinched a decisive and critical win at Rogers Centre.

The beauty of this win for the Predators was the fact that in a must win game, they continued to battle in the third period, exhibiting mental toughness and grit. Where in previous games they have wilted, they were resilient and unyielding. This is the type of win that the team can build upon going into the sprint to the end of the season. It is the type of win that build confidence and a belief that this team can do what is necessary to make the playoffs.

It will be necessary to continue to play with this sense of desperation and determination. This is playoff hockey right now. The intensity is there in every game that will be played for the remainder of the season. The ability of this team to step up their intensity and level of play like they did tonight will be essential to making the playoffs. This is the proving ground for the team.

Continue to play like you did tonight, with intensity and heart, and you will be well rewarded.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Patric Hornqvist

3. Blake Geoffrion

Random Thoughts From the Road

Due to travel commitments, I was unable to watch last night's Predators/Oilers game. You can get excellent summations here, here, and here, or with any of the Preds bloggers listed on the right.

I do have a few thoughts about this team and the sprint to a playoff spot.

This team has played itself out of a playoff spot by playing average hockey. Injuries have had a lot to do with the level of play, but there is also the aspect of management of the locker room and the handling of adversity such as this team has faced. This is the first real test of Shea Weber as captain and the leadership group of this team. Shea, along with Ryan Suter have a challenge right now to keep the team cohesive and focused on their goal of making the playoffs. Just as some young players are seeing increased ice time and learning from the experience, so is our leadership.

Don't underestimate the contributions of Martin Gelinas to this team. Having to thrust young players into action at the NHL level can be tenuous for any team, but these young Predators compete well and don't appear to be flustered. Having a Director of Player Development like Gelinas goes a long way to having them prepared to compete on the ice and comport themselves well off the ice. This was one of the smartest moves the Predators made by securing the services of Gelinas.

The young players in the lineup now find themselves in an intense push to the playoffs. There was some degree of disappointment from the Predator nation that we didn't get a veteran to augment the roster. In my view, asking prices were too high and we were wise not to attempt a rental acquisition. So the burden of making the playoffs falls on a team with an average age of 26. This is the opportunity for the young guys to step up and play a major role in the playoff push. This is why Paul Fenton and the scouting staff are paid- to stock the team with prospects that can be developed and eventually- and hopefully- are good enough to make the roster and contribute to the team. We are seeing the results of their efforts, and I think the young guys are going to be positive contributors to the team.

The coaching staff is walking a fine line with this team right now. They have to keep them focused and intense, yet too intense and they start gripping their sticks too tightly and begin too press to hard mentally. The coaching staff is going to have to do their best coaching yet for this team to be successful and get to the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how Barry Trotz and his staff handle the guys over the next few weeks.

The challenges facing this team are getting greater as the season winds down. After this road swing, the friendly confines of the Tire Barn await for the majority of the games remaining in the season. The Predators 7th man is going to have to do their part to exhort the team to much needed wins. The challenge is there for us as fans as well. I expect all of us in Predator Nation to be bringing it as well