4:58 pm: The Department of Player Safety, as a result of the hearing, has determined to not issue a suspension to Zadorov. They gave the following explanation via Twitter:
While there was significant head contact on this play, Zadorov took a proper angle of approach, did not extend outward or upward, and hit through Glendening’s core. Therefore, under Rule 48.1 (i), the head contact was determined to be unavoidable.
10:42 am: The Calgary Flames have to try and stave off elimination at home tomorrow night, and they might be without one of their big, intimidating defensemen. Nikita Zadorov will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety regarding the check to the head of Dallas Stars forward Luke Glendening last night.
Zadorov ended up taking 14 minutes in penalties last night, but none of them were assessed on the hit that knocked Glendening out of the game. Viewers could clearly see Stars head coach Rick Bowness yelling at the officials that it was a “head shot,” after the forward slumped to the ice in a scary position. Glendening played just over four minutes in the game.
A suspension would obviously take Zadorov out of the mix for game seven tomorrow, a player that has come into his own for the Flames this year. Perhaps more importantly, is the fact that Chris Tanev also exited the game early with an injury, meaning two of the team’s more reliable options might not be available for head coach Darryl Sutter.
The 6’6″ Zadorov is an incredibly intimidating presence on the ice as one of the league’s most powerful open-ice hitters. He also racked up 22 points, a career high, in 74 games this season, while averaging just under 17 minutes a night. His possession statistics were by far the best he’s ever posted, while he still managed to rack up 181 hits on the year, trailing only Milan Lucic among Flames.
Calgary already did dress seven defensemen last night, but that group will be stretched quite thin if both Zadorov and Tanev are unavailable. Connor Mackey, who didn’t dress, is also up with the team at the moment.
I’m not sure what Zadorov is supposed to do on that play. there doesn’t appear to be any clear motion to aim for the head. no extending of the arm to the head. just appears to be a taller player hitting a shorter player who’s stopping to avoid the hit and as a result the head is slightly ahead of the shoulders.
should be interesting how player safety looks at this one.
The NHL player safety outfit rarely gets it right so look for a suspension, unfortunately.
You can tell that he’s going into the hit with a wide body and elbows, shoulders extended to ‘hit’ glendenning
NativeAmerican…You are ½ right…they got it wrong.
Honestly I think this is the appropriate response by Paros and company. Mind you I’m a flames fan but that was a clean dirty hit. Once Z committed to the hit there wasn’t anything he could do to limit the damage, he was penalized end for it end of story a fine should be the max he gets. If it wasn’t playoffs maybe he gets a game
Surprised by their ruling but I agree with it 110%.
Get real. Watch the replay, hit with his shoulder
This isn’t the 80s and open ice hits like they aren’t acceptable by today’s standards. Elbow straight to the head… exactly the type of play the league wants to eliminate. Doesn’t matter if you’re taller or shorter – still a hit to the dome.
the elbow does not make contact with the head. the forearm maybe. I’m not arguing that there isn’t contact to the head, but suspensions should be for deliberate intent to injure which I don’t believe this was.
hitting may as well be banned as that will be the only way to fully eliminate any potential for a hit to the head.
btw the league says it wants to eliminate headshots but allows fighting still? kind of mixed messaging no?
The league doesn’t have any consistent messaging with anything.
Why would they look to clean-up cross checks then allow fighting and these types of hits? Terrible and embarrassing at their consistently with the rules and terrible at marketing the game and players
It was not an elbow, that was Trouba. Zadorov hit with his shoulder.
It was a clean hit, the game has gotten soft and politically correct.
It was directly to the head lol
They legit said during the broadcast it wasn’t a clean hit, wasn’t necessarily dirty but not clean
so in football JD if a player lowers his head are you supposed to let them walk by you? the reality is you can’t avoid some head hits but there was no clear intent here. Glendening put himself in a spot where unfortunately the head was forward a bit.
He hit a good portion of his chest first. Taller player hits short player, it was a hockey play. Hrudey goes to great lengths to not be a homer.
I thought it was a good hit. But watch these clowns at player safety suspend him.
Had it been Tom Wilson delivering that hit, I bet Parros declines to even look at it.
Hi Gavin,
Now that the verdict is in. Will you change the title?
“Nikita Zadorov To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety”
League does what they want to benefit the teams they want to win. DOPS hearings and goalie interference calls being inconsistent as f**k make that pretty clear.
you think the league wants Calgary to win over Dallas? you’re crazy
Looked like a dirty headshot to me. That’s surprising.
Time for eye exam?
It’s often the case that these clowns rule the opposite of reality.
I’m an impartial fan in this case and think they got it right. I hated seeing the way he collapsed to the ice but I don’t think it warranted any further discipline. A short player took a shoulder to the head from a tall player and there didn’t appear to be intent to injure.
It’s the right decision, it was a good old school hit that Ted Lindsay would have been proud of. Only snowflakes and the lovers of European hockey had an issue with the hit.