The deliberate elbow delivered by Duncan Keith directly to the head of Daniel Sedin was at bare minimum a five-minute major and game misconduct for elbowing. The best call would have been a match penalty under Rule 45.5 for deliberate attempt to injure under the elbowing rule!
Duncan Keith demonstrated absolutely no intent on playing the puck that flew off the glass and was well out of range of Sedin when contact was made. Instead, once the opportunity for a payback on Daniel's non-penalized shoulder contact to Keith's head six and a half minutes earlier reared its ugly head, Duncan Keith seized the moment in an open-ice assault. As Daniel turned to look up ice and follow the puck, Duncan Keith's elbow was elevated, cocked and planted with force directly to the head of a surprised Daniel Sedin.
If Duncan Keith had hauled off and sucker-punched Sedin or cracked him over the head with his stick instead of with a deliberate elbow, I would hope that most referees would deem either of those acts as a premeditated attempt to injure his opponent and appropriately assess a match penalty.
The two acts I just described would not be deemed as checking tactics on a play of this nature; or even illegal ones that would result in a minor penalty. They would cross the line that defines normal minor infractions and venture into the most dangerous territory of attempting to injure a player. How does a deliberate elbow to the head, which generated as much force or more than a punch or stick, possibly be deemed a minor infraction? The truth is; there is no logical rational to support a minor penalty on this play or others that we have seen recently occur.
Daniel Sedin should not have gotten a free pass last night in the game either. His high hit on Duncan Keith warranted at least a minor penalty for boarding or as I would prefer, an illegal check to the head. Even though this is not the type of hit you would expect from Daniel Sedin nor does he have a previous history, his illegal contact to the head of Duncan Keith should also be reviewed and dealt with.
Kerry Fraser's
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