The NHL has announced that there will be no hearing and therefore no discipline for Flyers' captain Mike Richards, who drew a boarding penalty on the Sabres' Tim Connolly. Connolly was injured on the play and is not expected to play in game seven.
Here's the hit if you haven't seen it yet. Frankly, I don't see anything all that suspension worthy there... It seems like a rather routine hockey play where a guy was unfortunately injured. Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff, who ironically called the Flyers "whiners," himself whined after the game about wanting the NHL to review the hit.
Sabres goalie Ryan Miller also lobbied for the NHL to suspend Richards.
"If Mike Richards thinks we're getting away with murder, I don't know what he got away with. Mass murder? Are we stepping it up a notch? Unbelievable," said Miller. "We lose a player for the rest of the game off of a hit that the league has been talking about that is dangerous. They (the league) better seriously consider looking at that one."
They did and didn't deem it worth a hearing or discipline. Also "mass murder" Ryan? Really?
Greg Wyshynski from Yahoo's Puck Daddy agrees with the NHL's decision and listed the only possible reasons someone might actually think it was suspension worthy.
But a suspension? The people demanding one either (a) want it for a tactical advantage in Game 7 or (b) have a knee-jerk reaction that any illegal play plus an injury equals a suspension or (c) are playing the "get it out of the game!" card or (d) hate the Flyers or (e) hate Mike Richards with every fiber of their puckhead being.
Because it doesn't warrant a suspension.
And from the Buffalo perspective this is obvious. A player was hurt and that's likely what they're upset about, which is understandable to be fair. For the fans, they just want the Flyers to be down an important player for game seven. That's fine, but just don't be dishonest about it and act like the hit was anything more than what it was.