In our earlier post about Zac Rinaldo’s big hit on Sean Couturier, it was noted that the NBC Sports Network post-game crew (Mike Milbury, Keith Jones, Pierre McGuire, and Eddie Olczyk) mentioned the possibility that Rinaldo wouldn’t get suspended. This was news to me, but then again, I’m just a guy sitting on his couch.
Today, it was initially reported by a Canadian journalist that Rinaldo wouldn’t be suspended. That report has since been retracted, which brings up the question of how a reporter can get something so simple completely wrong. But I digress…
Retired NHL referee Kerry Fraser pens a column for TSN (possibly from his couch), and he believes Rinaldo deserves some additional punishment. Fraser wrote “the execution, point of impact and end result were far from legal”:
As demonstrated below, Rinaldo charged a considerable distance from the goal to above the hash marks to deliver a late hit (the puck had been redirected by Couturier back toward the blueline.) The intended check was delivered with 1.1 seconds remaining in the period. Given the minimal time remaining, coupled with the fact that the puck was no longer in the area, the excessive hit had no beneficial consequence on the play other than to inflict needless punishment on Couturier, who was in a vulnerable position.
There's a full explanation in that post, if you want to check it out. By the way, anybody else noticing the parallels between the Rinaldo hit and Chase Utley slide? Oh yes, we’re all from Philly and blindly #TeamChase. Nevermind, World Effing Champions.
Of more importance to the Flyers is Couturier’s status. While Sam Gagner and R.J. Umberger have both played well, the 22-year-old is the second-line center and is viewed as a vital piece for the team’s future. There has been no official word for the team except the standard “upper-body injury.” Well, duh.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann