November 9
Tampa Tribune
columnist Erik Erlendsson
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Debates rage throughout the course of every NHL season whenever hard hits occur. Panelists across Canada and the U.S. will dissect situations when a player gets hurt on the ice, they will look at every angle and decide whether the victim put themselves in a vulnerable position. They will argue whether a hit was clean or dirty, and most often they side with the player delivering the hit. But maybe it's time to stop the debate between clean or dirty hit and decide what is necessary and what is not. Already this season the likes of Florida's David Booth, Minnesota's Petr Sykora and New York Rangers' Chris Drury are out with concussions on hits that have been, or will be, discussed. Tampa ..."
November 8
St. Petersburg Times
columnist Damian Cristodero
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The one thing players say they want most from on-ice officials is consistency. That is why two calls last week, both of which went against the Lightning, are worth exploring. In the first, Toronto's Niklas Hagman jumped Lukas Krajicek after the Tampa Bay defenseman cross-checked him to the ice. In the other, Lightning right wing Steve Downie fought Chris Neil after the Ottawa tough guy creamed defenseman Victor Hedman with a ferocious check. The difference: Downie was penalized for instigating a fight. Hagman was not. That's no small deal. An instigator penalty carries a two-minute penalty and a 10-minute misconduct. Add five for fighting and you've got 17 penalty minutes. In other words, ..."