MONTREAL, QC. — Ottawa Senators Eric Gryba received a five minute major and a game misconduct for a hit to the head of Montreal Canadiens forward Lars Eller in the second period of Thursday night’s game. Eller was laying face down in a pool of blood until medical help arrived. He was taken from the ice on a stretcher.
On Wednesday, Gryba described the Senators approach to Game 1 of the series, “Being an intimidating team is something that we want to do.”
An injury update from the Montreal Canadiens read as follows:
“Lars Eller suffered head and facial injury. He is conscious and alert. Eller has been taken to the hospital for further examination and will remain under observation.”
UPDATE: Eric Gryba will have a phone hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday at 12 noon.
Video posted to YouTube by HockeyVideoHD
Dangerous hit?
How about a dangerous pass?
Don’t be a homer. That was a suicide pass and Eller got caught. The hit was delivered to the body of Eller and head contact was incidental after the hit was delivered. It’s unfortunate, but these things happen in a contact sport.
Both TSN and CBC said it wasn’t interference, it wasn’t a hit targetting the head and the only reason Gryba got a penalty was Eller’s bleeding. Sens get nailed because Eller gets himself hurt. Meanwhile the Habs think PK Subban trying to land big hits is great.
Nobody likes a team that wants to dish it out but can’t take it. Oh, wait …. apparently a lot of you do.
Of course TSN and CBC would say that, you pawn, I bet PJ Stock will also say that. Your media has grown up hating the Habs, their childhoods were ruined by them. On another note, karma’s a b#%&@#, so this will all come spinning back.
Thanks for your comments Anon, Avs and Dave.
It was clearly a poor decision by Raphael Diaz to make the pass. However, that only serves as a distraction to the central issue. Eric Gryba doesn’t get a free shot because a defenseman made a bad pass.
Gryba delivered a shoulder check with the principal point of contact being Lars Eller’s head. Review the video. It is not in dispute. It’s a blindside head shot to a player in a vulnerable position.
Eller’s head is spun around. He loses consciousness before he hits the ice.
With respect to balance, we fully agreed with Ryan White’s recent 5-game suspension calling in “reckless.” White’s hit was a glancing blow and was not a blindside.
Completely incidental contact to the head, caused by a suicide pass.
I have absolutely no reason to side with Ottawa on this, because I loathe the Sens, but that’s what happened.
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