James Wisniewski Boarding Hit on Brent Seabrook - March 17th 2010 (HD)
3:35 March 17, 2010
Sports
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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- For the second straight game, the Chicago Blackhawks lost a key member of their defence because of a vicious check against the boards behind the net.
Anaheim defenceman James Wisniewski knocked Brent Seabrook out of the game less than 2 1/2 minutes into the second period. Wisniewski began his NHL career with the Blackhawks before getting traded to the Ducks in March 2009.
He drove his ex-teammate into the glass behind the Chicago net with a vicious shot to the jaw, causing Seabrook's head to strike the glass with enough force that it left him with a dazed expression a couple of seconds before he crumpled to the ice.
Wisniewski's hit was payback for Seabrook's aggressive check on Perry seconds earlier in almost the same spot on the ice.
"We're not happy about that, obviously. A lot of guys in this room know the guy that did it, and it becomes pretty personal when something like that happens," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "I don't understand how the referees can see something like that and don't identify the fact that he's trying to hurt one of our players. He wasn't skating in from the blue-line for any other reason than to run Seebs over and take the liberty on him."
"It was a dirty hit, no question about it," said former Anaheim defenceman Nick Boynton, who also got into a fight with Wisniewski right after Ryan's empty-net goal.
Afterward, a livid Hawks coach Joel Quenneville called it "as bad a hit as you can ever have in the game. Quenneville said "You hit a guy without the puck, you can kill a guy," "It's the most dangerous hit in the history of the game. He tried to hurt him."
TSN's Bob McKenzie: -- As near as I can tell, the hit occurred solely for one purpose to avenge Seabrook's questionable/borderline hit of Duck player Corey Perry earlier on the same shift. I suppose that goes to intent, which isn't necessarily such a bad thing if the intent was to deliver a hard check that is somewhat within the bounds of the rules or even to drop the gloves to fight, because whether anyone likes it or not, fighting is part of hockey. And so is settling a score. Fair enough.
But Wisniewski's hit was anything but close to legal.
As soon as I saw it, it struck me as the Grand Slam of illegal hits.
It was most certainly charging as Wisniewski wound up from a great distance to come in at top speed to hit Seabrook. That Wisniewski also left his feet is the exclamation point on the charging charge. I don't recall a defenceman being that aggressive on the forecheck in quite some time.
It was also interference, insofar as Seabrook did not have possession of the puck and wasn't the last one to touch it. In fact, I think you can make the case that the puck was not a factor whatsoever in Wisniewski's decision-making process.
I would also argue it was boarding, in the sense of an ultra-violent hit into the boards. In today's game, we have more or less accepted that players get driven into the boards quite forcefully on a regular basis, but if you read the penalty for boarding, I think it fits in this case.
I am prepared to give Wisniewski the benefit of the doubt that it was not elbowing. It looked to me like the point of contact was the shoulder although the elbow did come up late in the hit.
Charging? Check. Interference? Check. Boarding? Check. Throw in the predatory aspect of the hit, the seeming malice and forethought to avenge an earlier play and I would say Wisniewski hit this one out of the park.
It had a vaguely Downie-esque feel to it (see Steve Downie's charging and high hit on Dean McAmmond).
Where the NHL comes down on this one is anyone's guess.
Tim Sassone (Between The Circles): -- What a cheap shot by Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski on Brent Seabrook in the second period on Wednesday night. A high-stick/elbow/charge to Seabrooks face, and all he got was a minor penalty for charging. Gutless no-call by referees Paul Devorski and Ian Walsh. Wisniewskis head shot knocked Seabrook out and he retired to the dressing room. The Hawks later announced that Seabrook wouldnt be returning to the game.
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