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  • Ryan Hartman's High Stick Causes Heated Debate On Sportsnet Broadcast


    Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
    Carlton Bloom

    The Minnesota Wild have been at the center of the hockey universe for a few days now, but not for anything good. They have not been making headlines all across the national landscape due to solid play or one of their star players pulling off some magic. No, it's because of Ryan Hartman making a dirty play against the Winnipeg Jets' Cole Perfetti.

    What seemed like a slip of a stick off of the faceoff dot was later revealed as Hartman taking some sort of revenge after Jets defenseman Brendan Dillon took star Kirill Kaprizov out of the game with a couple of heavy-handed cross-checks.

    "He said it in kind of a respectful way," Perfetti told reporters after the game. "'No disrespect, nothing against you. It had to happen for what happened to Kaprizov there.'"

    The discourse has been uncontrollable after Perfetti's comments. Hoards of online debate has been spawned from this act of attempted revenge for hurting a star player. And now, it has seeped onto the national Sportsnet broadcast during the intermission of Wednesday night's slate of games.

    Former NHLer Jamal Mayers remained adamant in defense of what Hartman did. As a former depth forward himself who liked to play on a little edge, it makes a little bit of sense.

    "I know the game has changed, but there is still an element of fear -- an element of being aggressive and sending a message," Mayers said on the broadcast. "These two teams could also meet in the playoffs. To me, sending a message is important."

    Mayes went on to say that Dillon's second cross-check to hit Kaprizov right in a vulnerable area, was just as egregious as Hartman's high stick. Adding in also that the only reason it's a discussion now is because it has been revealed that Hartman did it on purpose.

    Analyst Sam Cosentino then chimed in and essentially said that it just shouldn't have been Perfetti who got high-sticked, but one of the more established Jets stars instead. As if a different target would have really mattered. Agree or disagree with what Hartman did, the fact that it was Perfetti instead of someone like Mark Scheifele, is a non-factor in the debate.

    After the more traditional-minded broadcasters had their chance to speak on it, the former hockey player who has the most accolades and experience as a top player, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and five-time World Championship gold medalist Jennifer Botterill, got her words in.

    Botterill was plainly baffled at what Mayers and Cosentino were saying; defending Hartman's decision to get this supposed "revenge." She mentioned that it is not what you want to see if you are a league trying to get the most skilled and entertaining players on the ice, feeling comfortable. And that no player should really expect to get two-handed high-sticked in the face on a moment's notice.

    The three of them proceeded to go back and forth in possibly the most heated hockey broadcast in a while. No polite jokes or passive-aggressiveness, this feels like something right out of what we're used to from a Stephen A. Smith-led daytime show.

    It's worth it to just watch the full and fiery four minutes and 25 seconds.

    Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we'll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form.


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    I would have preferred the Wild to cross check relentlessly as well since the refs only call about a third of them. Some message needed to be sent given that Winnipeg has been consistently injuring the Wild's top player.

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    They relentlessly cross check or take dirty shots at kaprizov….if your telling me Hartman’s high stick was dirtier than Dillon’s cross checks then I’ll ask you who’s injured for 2weeks and who is skating the next game!!!! The only difference is Dillon’s cross checks with intent to injure the nhl ignored and Kaprizov didn’t complain to the media about it….wanna fix it if you injure a player intentionally then that player is out without pay for the same time as the player he injured!! 

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    And this is why Hartman is such a loved teammate. He does the unpleasant things that need to be done. Why Perfetti? Simply because the name on his jersey in front was Winnipeg, and he was there. Simply as that.

    You don't go after Dillon, you go after their skill. This was precisely what happened when Hartman reverse hit Ehlers last year. It was about the name on the front of the jersey. 

    Mayer's take was absolutely right. These things happen all the time. Why do you think nobody will take out Marchand? Because they know Boston will get their revenge. Philly too. 

    Hartman knows full well what happened to Kaprizov was dirty. He also knows full well that referees will not protect Wild players, so they must do it themselves. And, he knows full well to target their skill. You attempt to injure my skilled player, expect your skill player to get one too.

    In Botterill's defense, she played women's hockey not in the N. She really has no business opining on the men's game with this issue. The women's game simply doesn't have the same brutality as the men's game, so her perspective is really irrelevant. Guys like Rupper or Stevens should have been consulted. 

    Hartman also knows this comes with a cost. He now has a bullseye on his back. I hope there are more Wild players that have his back!

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    Hartman is one of my favorite players in the wild and he is this teams only Rat, so I like him for his skill and his grit and his heart  with all the talk about getting evenHartman is the only one who really did anythingand I’m not counting maroons fight

    All that said, He’s becoming known for taking dumb penalties

    The fact that Hartman knew Perfetti was wearing a wire, and he confess to his crime and apologize into the microphone is just staggeringly stupid. Bro, how do you not know better

    Edited by Pewterschmidt
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    17 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

     

    The fact that Hartman knew Perfetti was wearing a wire, and he confess to his crime and apologize into the microphone is just staggeringly stupid. Bro, how do you not know better

    Fact? It's all alledged. What, if anything has Hartzy had to say about it?

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    1 hour ago, Willy the poor boy said:

    Fact? It's all alledged. What, if anything has Hartzy had to say about it?

    Alleged yes.  Russo (and others) have confirmed that teams are prepped before games as to which players are wired.  If true, then Hartman knew.  

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    Fuck Winnipeg.  

    Yes, the "revenge doesn't solve anything" mantra sounds great in theory, but until the refs decide that stuff like illegal cross checks and fighting are completely banned, they are going to swallow their whistles.  Who cares if it was Hartman who did it or if he went after a different guy?  Their players decided to strike first, so they have no right to complain (whether they did or not after the fact) that someone on the Wild took it back to them intentionally.

    If the league wants to sanction this, then this going to keep happening.  The Wild will get shit on regardless, so they might as well fight fire with fire until the league as a whole clamps down on it.  A lot of great players are battered down because the league lets it happen.  It's not Hartman's fault.  He's just proving the league right.  Maybe it takes an intentional injury to the golden boys like McDavid, Matthews, or Bedard for them to get their heads on straight.  

    Edited by Citizen Strife
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    18 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

    Fact? It's all alledged. What, if anything has Hartzy had to say about it?

    According to Russo, Hartman says he didn't say that. 

    He also says the Jets players knew about what he allegedly said, so Perfetti didn't wait until after the game to tell anyone. 

    Basically, he says Perfetti is lying. Which makes more sense to me than for Hartman to know he's mic'd up and then go admit to him he intentionally hit him in the face in retribution. 

    Honestly, if that's what needs to be done to send a message to quit targeting Kaprizov, then I'm fine with it. Wish it didn't have to be that way, but the refs have no interest in policing that shit so it falls to the players unfortunately. And involves ones who weren't involved in the play.

    Meanwhile the NHL gets exposure, and there's no such thing as bad publicity, so they love it and won't be doing much to change it is my guess. The cycle continues.

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    19 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    Hartman is one of my favorite players in the wild and he is this teams only Rat, so I like him for his skill and his grit and his heart  with all the talk about getting evenHartman is the only one who really did anythingand I’m not counting maroons fight

    All that said, He’s becoming known for taking dumb penalties

    The fact that Hartman knew Perfetti was wearing a wire, and he confess to his crime and apologize into the microphone is just staggeringly stupid. Bro, how do you not know better

    Never apologize. Eff those guys. If you're on the other team and do something dirty, you're time is coming. Maybe, you aploogize to the wife & kids if the retribution put the original offender in a coma. Maybe. Eye for an eye out there.

    So did Hartman say something that's recorded? Wouldn't that prove what was said or not?

    What I wanna know is, why does the NHL allow WPG and DAL to go after Kaprizov? VGK too a few years ago? It's the third time he's basically been injured by teams targeting him physically. Not saying the physicality itself of hockey is a problem, but the BS level and obvious referee ignorance is bad.

    I.e. Does it really make sense to have a league where teams police bad behavior themselves resulting in more injured/damaged skill guys? I would say if that's the way then Morrisey still requires a flying elbow from his cheap shot on Staal. Just injure or remove the offending players with vengeful action until there's only Euros and skill guys left. I don't get it because if I was the size and shape of Bogo or Merrill, I'd be killing guys and a total loose cannon. The Wild would have no problems with a psycho in a green sweater. Remember when Chris McSorley bit somebody's nose off? Brenden Dillon wouldn't be cross checking anybody if he's gotta face guys like that.

    https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-04-18-sp-23689-story.html

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    She mentioned that it is not what you want to see if you are a league trying to get the most skilled and entertaining players on the ice

    Then the league needs to penalize the original cross-check. This whole thing is a result of the on-ice officials and DOPS not punishing the original offenders.

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    20 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    Alleged yes.  Russo (and others) have confirmed that teams are prepped before games as to which players are wired.  If true, then Hartman knew.  

    Hartman did know he was mic'd up and he did not admit to anything. what he allegedly said (after Perfetti tried goading him onto saying it was on purpose all game since he had on a mic) "I'm not gonna say it wasn't on purpose". 

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    Some video left out this part, but 97 had an embarrassingly awesome reverse check on Dillon right before the cross checks. And, then Dillon went after 97 to the point where he buckled. And the zebras saw it, but did nothing. Where is the national conversation about that? Getting cross checked sucks, but when the stick hits pads it doesn't really hurt. That 2nd one clearly got around the pads, and that's a different pain level. That can't be ignored by the league. Costs them money.

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    The NHL only protects certain players, while hanging others out to dry. The only Wild player that might get referee protection, is Fleury, since he was a generational talent at goalie.

    For all the other Wild players, the refs will look the other way and do nothing. If the league allows other players / teams to take liberties with star Wild players like Kaprizov, Ek, Brodin and Boldy, then they better show the same indifference when a Wild player responds like Hartmann did.

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    NHL has the integrity of a 2-dollar whore if anyone asked my opinion. Refs getting calls wrong, admitting it, and no reconciliation is just one aspect. Hiding abuse or favoring certain organizations. Draft lottery shenanigans, and lack of ethics related to head injuries, along with secret decisions in Toronto to determine outcomes. It's pretty much a joke but if you love the game of hockey you just have to get over it. At least we should know and expect this kind of thing. 

    We know WJC doesn't allow Russia to play so why is #97 the main Russian they like to see taking damage other than Provorov?

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    I've seen far worse assaults with a hockey stick than what Hartman did.  If you decide to use your stick this is how it's done. Even if it's your own teammate. 

     

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    I'm sure there will be a lifetime ban for Smith. (Sarcasm)

    You hear the announcer lauding Bedard's teammate for going after Smith?? And that was a LEGAL hit by Smith.

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    6 hours ago, MacGyver said:

    I've seen far worse assaults with a hockey stick than what Hartman did.  If you decide to use your stick this is how it's done. Even if it's your own teammate. 

     

    He's a rookie. He got cut anyway. No big deal. (Sarcasm)

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    The Bure revenge was an all time message sent. Gotta say I loved that because it was guts and toughness when needed and not from an enforcer guy. Bure took care of it himself and that earned a lot of respect. 

     

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    I wish I could do more likes for that one. With the Don Cherry commentary from Rock'em Sock'em too. 

    Triple-like from me. Atta bois Fred!

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    17 hours ago, FredJohnson said:

    You hear the announcer lauding Bedard's teammate for going after Smith?? And that was a LEGAL hit by Smith.

    That was an awesome hit on Bedard, and I'm hoping one of many! That's one way to slow the kid down, a hard open ice hit up high. And, yes, it looked like older brother Foligno stepped in too. 

    If you want to beat Bedard, treat him very roughly. Step up on him every chance you can. Do it hard and legal. I'm anticipating seeing Daemon Hunt do the same thing. Midsy would simply clean up on him. Even Spurgeon could catch him not looking.

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    3 hours ago, Protec said:

    The Bure revenge was an all time message sent. Gotta say I loved that because it was guts and toughness when needed and not from an enforcer guy. Bure took care of it himself and that earned a lot of respect. 

     

    Kind of like how the Wild responded to Rossi immediately stepping in when Kaprizov got abused along the boards. Nobody expected that from Rossi, even though he hung on for dear life.

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    The season's almost lost. I think it's time for a boys will be boys '80s night with CBJ. Go full throttle with line brawls, etc... Maybe even Fleury finally gets his goalie fight!

    Why do this? It's simple, referees and league must be embarrassed for anything to change. Like was said by someone else earlier, even bad publicity can be good. 

    Referees losing control of games is an embarrassment to them. And, it requires extra paperwork, extra review, extra scrutiny. 2 of those this season would send a direct message to both referees and the league: "We're not taking this anymore!" Call the game fair, or this is what you'll get!

    Remember how NYR responded to Washington, and then loaded up on grit players in the offseason? The grit players are already here. Let Crazy Eyes lead the meltdown. It's not a pleasant thing, but it is necessary. And, regardless of the outcome of the game it builds comradery with the team, and every single player will play loose the next few games. This eliminates a lot of frustration, and you can look back on it and smile.

    The NHL will have to investigate why the team snapped. I can give you one reason! Consistent cross checks to an elite star player that go uncalled dating back to last season's playoff series. It's an easy out and explanation.

    Also, OCL, get out your checkbook, there will be fines. Perhaps a little extra gets that weighted ping pong ball in our favor?

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