I've been following this thread since the hit happened, but have avoided posting in it since it was nothing but a shit show. Now that things have calmed down somewhat, I'd like to voice a few things.
First of all, I agree with FRODO's point way back, that the game misconduct may not have been called had there not been an injury on the play. While I disagree with the call, hockey is a fast sport and referees are only human. A referee adds up the what he has seen - puck played, hit, man down.
Now, I also think that 4 games is ridiculou. Anyone who has played hockey before knows that keeping your head up, regardless of whether you have the puck or not, is the first thing you are taught. It applies to 6 year olds and superstars alike. From the replays, it looks like Rome is coming across while Horton is skating in, and Rome just plants his feet and braces his shoulder for the hit. It is not Rome's responsibility to see if Horton has his head up, and even if he did notice, he probably didn't have time to react. The same argument lies here - had there not been an injury, we may not even be talking about the hit right now. Rome didn't charge him, didn't elbow him in the head, and didn't leave his feet until after the hit. The point everyone seems to be rallying around is that it was late. It was certainly after Horton played the puck, but again, if you have played hockey before you know that you can play the man after he has the played the puck. The only reason the timing of the hit is coming into question, once again, is because Horton was injured. If Horton had his head up, perhaps he would have had time to brace for the hit and it's a possibliity that the hit may not even have been penalized. Hits like that have been taking place across the league far later than 1 second this season, yet how many have been called, let alone been cause for suspension this year?
Now. All of the above is going by what I remember from last night and is completely subjective. Argue and hate away all you want.
I grew up watching hockey during an era when hits like that occurred all the time and weren't even called. I hate the way the league is going today, but I understand that the league wants to protect its players, and there's nothing I can do to change that. However, hits with timing and form similar to the one last night if not later, have been made during the playoffs this year only with a different outcome, and have not been called. My main concern lies with the lack of consistency across the league on issues like this. The league has shown time and time again an inability to set a precedent by which all calls are made. The rulebook does not explicitly state what exactly is considered a late hit (15 frames? 1 second? 3 strides?). How can a league be taken seriously when the refs can't agree on what call should be made? A former player like Shanahan should know better than to dole out 4 game suspensions for a hit that was borderline late. I'm just glad Colin Cambpell stepped down when he did, because if he hadn't there would be a slaughter in the Vancouver media right now.
Having said all that, I can't say that Rome's suspension upsets me with regards to the roster, and it probably did him a favor since he will have had a target on his back. Perhaps we can finally see a Ballard-Tanev pairing step in, since AV seems to be reluctant to play Ballard alongside anyone else. If not, then I guess we're expecting Alberts and Tanev, but that would worry me somewhat. Either way, puck drop can't come any sooner, I can't wait for tomorrow's game.I'm dne.