Ma’am, I’m sorry but that dube crosscheck was only a minor penalty. It wouldn’t have even been a penalty and the only reason it turned out so bad was because of Dickinson turning and remaining far from the boards. Had he kept moving towards the boards and dube followed through with the same hit it would’ve been a normal hit near the boards. And I don’t mean to demean you at all, but it just wasn’t dirty or intentional. You have to weigh in both sides.
Ma’am? Yiiiiikes. Are you trying to make me feel old?
That’s fine. YMMV and all that. It is my opinon that all crosschecks and particularly crosschecks from behind should be taken more seriously, called more frequently, and penalised more heavily. We can split hairs over ejections, etc, but if you send a player out for a game (or more), then why do you get to stay in?
Are all crosschecks intended to injure? Probably not. Do they all result in injury? No. But the potential is definitely there, especially with crosschecks to the head and from behind, and when refs don’t call it or only give out 2 minute minors, players/teams are enabled to make those potentially harmful hits. There’s a reason that there’s a rule against crosschecking and refs not calling it is wrong.
As for the Dube hit, he did raise his stick to waist level and drive it forward and up into Dickinson’s back well after Dickinson had turned and his numbers were fully visible. (LINK) Had Dickinson been closer to the boards he wouldn’t have been able to brace himself like he did and it may have been more serious than a trip to the dressing room for a look at his leg. Or not. But when Calgary complained about the penalty the ref stated: “That's dangerous, that's dangerous. That's a dangerous hit and I'm calling that every time.” (LINK)
Setting aside Dicky and looking at other crosschecks from behind (See: Dubois’s hit on Muzzin which sent him forward into the oncoming knee of another player and landed him on a stretcher and then in hospital) as well as other hits leading to serious head injuries (See: Stephen Johns, Sidney Crosby, Dan Carcillo, etc etc etc etc) we know there’s a good potential for them to be very dangerous. So refs need to call it. Period.
This isn’t a personal problem I have with the Flames or the Blue Jackets. This is a problem I have with the league not taking care of the health and safety of its players by enforcing its own rules.
