And that is all I am saying. I don't think it was this vicious over the top boarding hit. Is it any worse then Tom Wilsons hit on Schenn? Yes he didn't need to follow through on the hit but this happens more then we think.
- J35Bacher

All the time dude....

For all the uproar, I really expected more from this hit...



It was a stupid play, his teammates should be mad, but I thought I'd be seeing a flying elbow into Letang's skull or something. (was trying to catch up on some Homeland...I stupidly assumed the lifeless Flyers were going to be in the building again tonight.)

Edit: Hopefully Letang is ok, just a little woozy, no concussion.
- wolfhounds

Rinaldo was correct in that the hit was to the BACK of Letangs shoulder. Key word being BACK, Zacky!

And that is all I am saying. I don't think it was this vicious over the top boarding hit. Is it any worse then Tom Wilsons hit on Schenn? Yes he didn't need to follow through on the hit but this happens more then we think.
- J35Bacher

A better comparison is Orlov looking squarely at Schenn's numbers and then leaping into his back and hitting both of them.

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=566398

PK was a nice surprise last night!

A better comparison is Orlov looking squarely at Schenn's numbers and then leaping into his back and hitting both of them.

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=566398
- Feanor

Not only that but he elbowed him in the back of the head.

And that is all I am saying. I don't think it was this vicious over the top boarding hit. Is it any worse then Tom Wilsons hit on Schenn? Yes he didn't need to follow through on the hit but this happens more then we think.
- J35Bacher

I was not a fan of the hit but agree there are far more vicious hits out there.

My problem with the whole situation has to do with the fact the hit puts our better playes in the cross hairs. We are just plain lucky that Jake, Raffl and Bellmare didnt get blasted in those fights. CHRIST Raffl and Bellmare's dance partners routinely kunuckle drag in the AHL....we dodged a bullet. We just dont have the horses on the team to defend ourselves after incidents like that. Outside of Simmonds (middleweight at best) and fat Schenn we really dont have many guys who can toss them. I am not suggesting icing a line with Hextall, Stortini and Rosehill....just saying Rinaldo has run out of get out of jail free cards

A better comparison is Orlov looking squarely at Schenn's numbers and then leaping into his back and hitting both of them.

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=566398
- Feanor

And i actually think that was worse as Schenn wasn't even on the boards.

Again I am not saying Rinaldo should have made the hit but to say this is the worst hit ever is a little off.

Great PK last night although the Flyers really played with fire.

The game was chippy and what not but it wasn't as entertaining as the old offensive jamborees the teams used to have under Lavy and Bylsma, IMO.

Rinaldo could get a double-digit game suspension after that hit. Silly, silly, silly.

I was shocked the Flyers quelled Crosby and Malkin like they did although Malkin had a nice assist on Bennett's goal.

This all would have been more fun if the Flyers weren't at the bottom of the standings.

If you want to make a case to take Rinaldo out of the lineup, the lack of discipline at times and the number of penalties he takes is all the ammunition needed. He is an NHL player, he does bring a physical presence and energy, he skates well and is good on the forecheck, and is a decent player on the back check. He is an NHL player and does have some skills that translate to the NHL game. He does however have some idiot in him. Which doesn't seem likely to change. I understand the investment the Flyers made, in trying to develop him as a player.
- MJL

Do you feel the same way if the pens score a couple goals on the pp?..they could try to develop players that are actually good players.....biggest problem this team has in Snider.

I was not a fan of the hit but agree there are far more vicious hits out there.

My problem with the whole situation has to do with the fact the hit puts our better playes in the cross hairs. We are just plain lucky that Jake, Raffl and Bellmare didnt get blasted in those fights. CHRIST Raffl and Bellmare's dance partners routinely kunuckle drag in the AHL....we dodged a bullet. We just dont have the horses on the team to defend ourselves after incidents like that. Outside of Simmonds (middleweight at best) and fat Schenn we really dont have many guys who can toss them. I am not suggesting icing a line with Hextall, Stortini and Rosehill....just saying Rinaldo has run out of get out of jail free cards
- juiced

Your best players are always in the crosshairs. Teams routinely talk about making it tough on star players. Hitting them when you get a chance. Putting a stick on them every chance.

Did you miss the blantant cross check right into Crosby's ribs from manning I think. Did he do it to say hi or make him hurt?

PK was a nice surprise last night!
- Streit2ThePoint

Valveeta has done the job on PK and on the 4th line. This guy deserves a chance at more ice... Zombies ice time!
They should flip them

http://www.hockeybuzz.com...f-Player-Safety/177/65770

Interesting article by Ryan Wilson. He makes some good points, mainly that the idea that enforcers, fighters, goons, etc. don't act as a deterrent for hits like Rinaldo's on Letang at all and thinking they do is a fallacy. I 100% agree with that assessment.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Ryan-Wilson/You-Reap-What-You-Sow-NHL-NHLPA-and-Department-of-Player-Safety/177/65770

Interesting article by Ryan Wilson. He makes some good points, mainly that the idea that enforcers, fighters, goons, etc. don't act as a deterrent for hits like Rinaldo's on Letang at all and thinking they do is a fallacy. I 100% agree with that assessment.
- NickTheKid87

Were enforcers ever a deterrent? Have they been neutered by the instigator rule and other changes in the game or is it just a myth?

Rinaldo has scored 7 goals and 13 assists in his NHL career, over 200 games. In that time he's a -28. His possession numbers are similarly bad, and he's received supplementary discipline from the NHL once per every 53 games played.

Yes, hockey is more than scoring. It's defense and physical play. Well, Rinaldo is a poor defensive player, who tends to run around and look for the big hit to the detriment of his defensive responsibilities. He was tried on the PK, was ineffective and removed from it twice in the past two seasons.

The physical play he brings, but it's so often over the line that he ends up taking penalties and hurting the team. He's Not bringing enough to the table to justify the nonsense.

If it wasn't for his hitting and agitation of the opponent, he wouldn't be in the NHL. It's the sole reason he is in the NHL. That's why I say he's not a NHL caliber player. Because when it comes strictly to hockey he's got AHL level skills.
- Jsaquella

I don't care so much about possession numbers for a player of his role but I otherwise agree down the line.

Antoine Roussel is what Rinaldo ought to be but isn't. Saddest part about Rinaldo: Zac actually could have been a decent all-around hockey player who played with an aggressive edge. In environments where he can't play the way he does in games -- scrimmages, end-of-practice, the Flyers-Phantoms exhibition in Allentown, etc -- he can do some pretty skilled things with puck, plus he skates well.

Part of what infuriates Dallas opponents so much is that Roussel can burn you with a goal or a set up pass apart from the borderline hitting and trash talking. He was one-dimensional when he started his pro career but has developed the nascent skill level that lurked below the surface. Zac has never done that.

I have no problem with VDV playing the 4th line next year. He's been good there. However, I could do without Rinaldo and Vinny on the 4th. Lets bring in some other guys.

Were enforcers ever a deterrent? Have they been neutered by the instigator rule and other changes in the game or is it just a myth?
- wolfhounds

The broad street bullies were a deterrent. They punched their way to the cup.

Were enforcers ever a deterrent? Have they been neutered by the instigator rule and other changes in the game or is it just a myth?
- wolfhounds

I don't think they ever mattered, IMO. It's only perceived that they did. Like Wilson says in his article, Sill, Downie, Farnham, Adams and Bortuzzo were all dressed yet Rinaldo still ran at Letang. He wasn't deterred at all and has never been in the past from what we see him doing. What will deter him is taking his money and not letting him play for a long stretch.

It's a waste of a roster spot. He is a 12/13 forward who can only bring "energy". He doesn't excell defensively, can't effectively kill penalties or take face offs. His spot would be better suited for someone who can do any of those 3 things or in the flyers case, a shoot-out specialist. When you have the leagues worst penalty kill and an organizational reputation for borderline physical play and thus never get the benefit of the doubt from officials, Rinaldo only hurts the team.
- psuhockey

It's not a waste of a roster spot in my opinon. However I don't disagree that having a player that can contribute on special teams more often, that is more disciplined would be an upgrade. I also disagree that he only hurts the team.

The broad street bullies were a deterrent. They punched their way to the cup.
- GOA88

I don't call for a return to that type of game, but I will tell you that, except for the Rino hit, that game was incredibly exciting and interesting to watch. The Flyers played with more heart and desire in that game than I have seen all year. I know that they'll probably come back off the break and give us a snore fest 20 shot 2-1 loss where they get 10 of those shots in the 3rd after pullting the tender down 2-0, but I don't think it's wrong for me to hope that they start playing with more fire.

Were enforcers ever a deterrent? Have they been neutered by the instigator rule and other changes in the game or is it just a myth?
- wolfhounds

Back in the 1970s and even into the 1980s, enforcers were indeed a deterrent. Ask Mark Howe about how much extra space he had to work with on the ice because of the presence of Glen Cochrane, for example.

There's a story about Pelle Lindbergh from his rookie AHL season in Maine. He got a snow shower from an opponent and Cochrane's gloves were off and was pounding the guy -- broke his nose -- before Lindbergh was even able to look up from covering the puck to see who did it. That was the last time a Mariners opponent so much as snow-plowed Pelle, let alone bumped him when Cochrane was on the ice.

The game changed, though.

We see it differently. But I didn't say he should have hit him. I did say he should have used better judgement on the hit. But also he did get him clear in the numbers like people are saying. I also do think he turns a hair becasse he is watching the play and he sees him coming. Rinaldo's angle doesn't come right from behind. His body does get a little ahead of letangs before contact.

Again he didn't need to make the hit but I don't think this is an outrages boarding hit.
- J35Bacher

His head was watching the play, but his back was to the play the entire time, and was that way long before Rinaldo leveled the hit.

On Rinaldo:

First the hit: There is simply no excuse for a hit like that, he deserves a lengthy suspension. Period, end of story.

Second on his value as a player:
Lets see, a forward is expected to do some or all of the following: score, create offense, backcheck, kill penalties, win faceoffs, play with some physicality. Rinaldo neither scores or creates offense at the NHL level, nor does he win faceoffs. His defensive play is average at best nor is he anything special as a penalty killer. While he certainly plays with a physical edge, he lacks the ability to use that part of his game intelligently and takes way too many penalties.

All in all, he brings nothing to the table and would not make the roster of a contending team. I would be happy to see him waived when his suspension ends, I'm not sure if any other team would even pick him up at this point. With Akeson and White under contract, we have players that are much better suited for the NHL game than Rinaldo

Agree with you there. We see this hit all game. Difference is players should slow up and he did not. Hope Letang makes a quick recovery!
- mrspeeed

If a player slows up and just pins the player to the boards, there won't be a call. So if a player doesn't slow up and plasters the player to the point that his head slams into the glass, how is that the same kind of hit, and a hit we see all game?