Brendan Leipsic 5 min major spear: you be the judge

In game 5 of the Portland / Kelowna series, Leipsic was given a major penalty for spearing.

Lets look at rule 62:

Rule 62: Spearing

62.1
Spearing - Spearing shall mean stabbing an opponent with the point
of the stick blade, whether contact is made or not.

62.2
Double-minor Penalty - A double-minor penalty
will be imposed on a
player or goalkeeper who spears an opponent and does not make
contact.

62.3
Major Penalty - A major penalty shall be imposed on a player or
goalkeeper who spears an opponent (see 62.5).

62.4
Match Penalty - A match penalty shall be imposed on a player or
goalkeeper who injures an opponent as a result of a spear.

62.5 Game Misconduct Penalty - Whenever a major penalty is assessed
for spearing, a game misconduct penalty must also be imposed.

They don't take spearing lightly, nor should they.  If you swing & miss, its a double minor.  Any spear that actually contacts another player and its an automatic major.  Again, I'm fine with this, but it should go without saying that not all spears are created equal.

In the above video clip of the incident, I left it long with Kelowna's audio feed to illustrate a point: that no one knew that this major had occurred until the penalties went up on the scoreclock.  I'm right there with them - I watched the replay not seeing the spear until I was looking for it.  I'm not sure how the league will look at this, but my rose-garden colored glasses don't think its a big deal.  We shall see.

We've seen some nasty spearing incidents in the last week or so:

Different leagues for sure, but many of us remember Lucic with the Giants.  Played hard as well as partied hard.   Dude just cruises up behind a dude, all nonchalant, and sticks him in the balls.  That's a calculated move - about the worst thing you can do on an ice sheet.  He got slapped with a $5,000 fine, no suspension.  (Lucic made 4.5 million this year, BTW).

Suspend Leipsic?  Time will tell.

https://twitter.com/hawkeyblog

https://www.facebook.com/hawkeyblog

https://twitter.com/Pucklandia

https://www.facebook.com/HawksPuckTalk

When is losing your best player to suspension a good thing?

photo: Jimmy Budinski

Many of us were pretty frustrated when Brendan Leipsic got suspended.  I was one of them:

@jleipsic8 @bleipsic we weren't using him for anything
— CellPhones&PlaneTix (@hawkeyblog) January 1, 2014

Its one thing for the highest scoring team in the WHL to lose a guy off of the top line - the key to this was the timing of it, with 3 other top players overseas at the time.  The Winterhawks went 2-5 over the 7 games that Leipsic was suspended.  Of course, they were short other players simultaneously, but I would argue that only magnifies the importance of #28 in the lineup.

Its unclear if the 'Hawks could have caught Kelowna anyway, but those two head to head games really hurt - those are generally referred to as "4 point games" - so it was an 8 point weekend.  You could look at it like this suspension + WJC may have cost home ice advantage, should the 'Hawks face the Rockets.

I haven't seen this expressed elsewhere, but its my opinion that Leipsic not getting the call from Team Canada contributed directly to his suspension.  For a guy who led the WHL in scoring last year, and had a good playoff run - you had to expect his 19 year to be a big one.  The Predators were high on him in camp this year.  It seemed to me when the WJC lists came out with no #28 - that his game changed, and we saw more of the Leipsic who's more interested in putting guys through the glass than pucks in the net.

The game in Red Deer, in front of Canada coach Brent Sutter, Leipsic was particularly ornery.  Scored 2 goals, 1 assist, +1, #1st star - but the play that sticks out is he threw a serious hit right at the buzzer.  One of those unnecessary plays that reeked like frustration to me.


Dylan Bumbarger has been known to throw truth bricks:

To say something obvious: 28 has to cut that out if he wants a career beyond the Central Hockey League. That was rumored to be a reason he wasn't picked to go to camp with Team Canada, as well.

So we're watching the 'Hawks during this stretch, and they're getting shelled.  The players are frustrated, the fans are frustrated, and I've gotta think that Leipsic is frustrated.

I wonder if this game was as difficult for Leipsic as it was for the rest of us? #whl
— CellPhones&PlaneTix (@hawkeyblog) January 1, 2014

If the purpose of punishment is to alter behavioral patterns, than lets hope this discipline was successful.  Those 24 days between games presented a lengthy opportunity for self reflection, as well as influence from the 'Hawks & Predators brass.

The results have been impressive: in 8 games post suspension he's potted 8 goals, 10 assists, and is +13.  Sure, he's picked up 14 PIM in that stretch, but nothing too serious.  He's the kind of guy who needs to play "on the edge" to be successful, and he appears to have rediscovered where that edge is.

Often times I make the point that there are penalties worth taking, regardless of the result.  If your goalie gets ran, and you take a penalty roughing the guy up, thats fine.  Even if they score on the powerplay, that's still fine.  Even if it costs you the game (once in a while), you can live with it.  You can't just let guys take liberties.

We may look at this 2-5 stretch as the best thing that could have happened to this 'Hawks team.  It sure looks like that time out of the lineup has refocused Leipsic for the stretch run.  He just may have a little extra gas in the tank for a long playoff run, too.

Time will tell.

WHL: Redneck League

@SSepich Supplemental discipline from Wednesday, league hasn't announced it yet...
— Todd Vrooman (@ToddVrooman) October 5, 2013

The Winterhawks played a game on Wednesday, the 2nd of October.  I'm writing this prior to the game on Friday, the 4th of October.  Apparently, the league looked at a hit that Keegan Iverson threw in the last game, and felt its worthy of some sort of suspension.

Sometimes that happens - guys get supplemental discipline.   There is a place for listing said discipline - and there's nothing on there from that game.  I proposed that there must be some reason that the league hasn't got around to announcing this development yet:

@ToddVrooman @SSepich today and yesterday were a secret Albertan holiday and the #whl was out of the office, apparently #redneckleague
— CellPhones&PlaneTix (@hawkeyblog) October 5, 2013

By my simple math, Thursday was a business day, as well as all day Friday.  Sure, I get that the WHL doesn't work on weekends, which is strange considering the majority of game action happens then, but who am I to judge, but they were to goddamned busy to write up a memo for two days?

Is this a joke?

All the scoresheet shows is 2 for interference - which generally isn't suspendable.  Many 'Hawk fans feel that the WHL is out to get us, and this won't help.  This is a developmental league for players, coaches, and front office staff.  Apparently this doesn't extend to the leadership group for the league, since this group would embarrass any organization they are involved with, especially the one they are running now.

Kale Kessy - turned over a new leaf?

Kale Kessy is killing it right now.  This playoffs he's got loose for a hat trick, another hat trick,
in addition to an OT series clincher.  Dude's been a candidate for the Cy Young, with 11G / 2A in 10 games - while picking up only 8 penalty minutes.  Watching the video highlights of that Game 4 of the Kelowna series, it appears as though the Blazers put together a nice highlight package.  They even show most of the penalties, although that may be in part due to the heat created by the 11-to-1 powerplay ratio handed out in this game.

Kessy's had a pretty interesting year.  Started out in Medicine Hat, where he picked up his 7th WHL suspension - 12 games worth - which is how he caught my attention.  While suspended, he was traded to Vancouver, and that team struggled.  At the deadline, Kamloops picked him up for the stretch run.  Kessy put up 25 points in 31 games for the Blazers - against 44 PIM's.  He helped balance the top two lines for them, which can prove to be extremely valuable.

At the NHL trade deadline, he saw his rights go from Phoenix to Edmonton - and the Oilers turned around and signed him.

I'm a big second-chance guy.  That being said, I'm a little concerned that Kessy could start running around and really hurt someone - which is an issue being how my favorite team is about to see him over and over for the next week-and-a-half.  I'm hoping he's taken a page out of Matt Cooke's book and has turned over a new leaf.  If he hurts the 'Hawks playing hard and scoring goals - I can live with that.