SHARKSPAGE

WCQF Game 1: Kings center Jarret Stoll suspended for 1-game after hit from behind to the head of Ian White

JARRET STOLL DELIVERS ELBOW TO HEAD OF IAN WHITE IN 1ST - FSKINGS

JASON DEMERS DELIVERS ELBOW UP HIGH TO RYAN SMYTH IN 3RD - FSKINGS

The NHL announced this afternoon that Kings center Jarret Stoll received a 1-game suspension for a hit to the head of defenseman Ian White. The hit from behind occured at 19:35 of the first period with Los Angeles trailing San Jose 1-0 and being outshot 14-3. There was no penalty called by referees Brad Watson or Greg Kimmerly on the play. Stoll will serve his suspension Saturday, March 16th for the second game of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

“We lost a very good defenseman that we count on,” San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said in a press conference Thursday night. “The rest of it is unfortunate, because Jarret Stoll is a hell of a player.” The 26 year old offensive defenseman was acquired in a pre-trade deadline deal with the Carolina Hurricanes on February 18th. After adapting to the Sharks tight defensive system, his fourth team in two seasons, White picked up steam in the stretch run using a heavy point shot to register 8 points over his final 17 games. Thursday night’s appearance in the first game of the WCQF was his Stanley Cup Playoff debut after 6 years in the league. Ian White was held out of Sharks practice on Friday and his status remains uncertain.

While the Sharks head coach was diplomatic, Ian White’s teammates were not. “I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it the first time I saw it, I didn’t like it on the replay,” defenseman Dan Boyle said after the game. “I don’t know if Stoll is that type of a guy, but that is exactly the type of hit we are trying to eliminate. The guy’s head is (inches) from the boards and you drive your forearm in there.” In football terminology, Stoll delivered a forearm shiver often used by defensive lineman on the pass rush. The forearm shot from behind drove Ian White’s head into the dasherboard, not the more flexible plexiglass, and Stoll held it pinned against the boards grinding for several seconds with his shoulder. A dazed White had trouble regaining his feet, and trouble leaving the ice under his own power until he was met by San Jose athletic trainer Ray Tufts.

At the time of the hit, defenseman Douglas Murray and forward Ryane Clowe were two of the players who immediately lept off the bench to yell at the officials. “I knew right away he was injured,” Ryane Clowe said after the game. “It was a rallying point, but there is not much you can do. You can’t take liberties and be in the box.” At the first intermission, Clowe told CSNCA that maintaining focus and discipline was a key for the team after the emotional play. 6-foot-2, 225-pound Clowe and 6-foot-3, 245+ pound Murray were leaning over the bench slapping the boards as Ben Eager dropped the gloves with Kyle Clifford on the very next faceoff. In the April 4th regular season finale at San Jose, it was Clifford coming to the defense of Brad Richardson after Douglas Murray checked him hard twice on the same play.

Eager landed a series of quick right hands. With Clifford controlling his left, Eager even raked a few backfists against the jaw of Clifford before throwing again. Clifford landed a couple of blows after Eager lost his balance and fell to the ice. “It was a dirty hit,” Eager said after the game. “I don’t see how you could watch the replay and see it and not see it as a dirty hit. He had his back to him the whole time. Hopefully Whitey is all right.” The Sharks focus was on the bigger picture, winning the game and coming a step closer to holding serve on home ice. There was messages-sending and statements made as well. In past playoff series against Edmonton, against Calgary, against Dallas and even Nashville, opposing teams that took shots at the Sharks were not always responded to. While this Sharks team may face many of the same questions as past iterations, their answers may be decidedly different.

White finished with 1 assist, 2 hits and a blocked shot after skating only 9 shifts for 6:09. The Kings were already dealing with injuries to their top two scorers, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams. Now they will have to adjust on the fly without Jarret Stoll for game 2. Williams was able to return to the lineup after missing 9 games with a shoulder injury, and he erased any questions about his ability to play. Williams scored a goal, registered an assist, and dominated stretches late in the game with puck possession. That being said, Kings head coach Terry Murray can see the writing on the wall. Handzus and Stoll were tagged to replace Kopitar’s play on both sides of the ice, and both of the Los Angeles goals on Thursday came from broken San Jose plays. Brown’s second period power play goal came after a Logan Couture shorthanded shot rebounded wildly to create an oddman rush. Justin Williams’ tap in goal came as Douglas Murray and Dan Boyle checked the same player behind the net.

The loss of Stoll will have a big impact on the second game of the series. Heading back to Los Angeles down 2-0 may be an unwinnable proposition. John Zeiler was called up from the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL today, and he or Oscar Moller could see replacement duty on Saturday night.

“I was honest with them, I told them what I thought” Stoll told reporters today when asked about the telephone hearing with NHL VP of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. “It hurts,” he said after learning of his suspension. “I don’t want to miss any games, whether it’s the regular season or especially the playoffs. I’m really disappointed with the decision, but I respect it.”

Los Angeles Kings head coach Terry Murray was furious that a Jason Demers hit on Ryan Smyth was also not called on the ice. Even moreso with the fact that Demers did not receive any supplemental discipline from the league today. “We will accept the decision made by the league and get through the next game,” Terry Murray said after practice. “But I want to say this. If Jarret Stoll gets suspended for that hit, then Demers’ (hit) is five times more severe.” Murray equated the Demers check with a Steve Downie pre-season hit on Ottawa Senators forward Dean McAmmond in 2007 that earned a 20-game suspension. “There is no difference in the intent of that hit,” Murray said.

Murray had to be playing up the outrage to take pressure and to take the scrutiny off of his key player. Sharks second year defenseman Jason Demers burst onto the NHL last year with an offensive display, but this season he quickly developed defensively and is showing better judgement with when and when not to jump up into the play. Demers registered three hits late in the game, on Smyth, Wayne Simmonds and Dustin Penner (aka 3 of the Kings most physical players). 3:35 into the third period, Demers stepped up to Ryan Smyth who had just accepted a rinkwide pass from Drew Doughty at his own blueline. With his stick in the passing lane, Demers angled off at the last second to hit Smyth with an elbow or a shoulder up high.

Demers hits Smyth with speed and did leave his feet, but 1: Smyth was facing the play; 2: Demers did not grind Smyth’s head into the dasherboards until he was crumpled on the ice; and 3: There is no comparison to the Steve Downie hit, because Downie took a half dozen strides and lept into Dean McAmmond along the end boards. More than just a questionable play, Downie could have legitimately been suspended for an entire season. A more apt comparison to the Downie hit would be Steve Ott’s recent 20-foot charge on Jason Demers. Ott ducked under two linesman after the play and Demers accidentally punched one of the officials in the visor trying to get at him. A fourth item that shouldn’t need to be mentioned, Smyth skated to the bench under his own power. White had trouble getting to his feet, and trouble recognizing referee Brad Watson or his defensive partner Niclas Wallin as he staggered back to the bench.

Demers hit could have been worthy of a minor or a major penalty, and in the mould of Dany Heatley’s ill-advised elbow, it could have been worthy of a 1-game suspension. Comparing that high elbow to driving an opponent’s head into the dasherboard from behind with a forearm is ridiculous. Even with the fact that a 1-game suspension in the playoffs is worth 2 regular season games, the ruling by the NHL makes a mockery of it’s stated attempts to protect the saftey of players. Stand up player or not, good guy in the locker room or not, Stoll threw that forearm to the head to injure Ian White. That is exactly what he did.

[Update] Added screenshots of the Stoll and Demers hits from the Fox Sports Kings feed, who had a camera on the east side of the rink. The top down and west side cameras used by the TSN and CSNCA feeds missed a clear shot of the elbow. Fox Sports Kings television analyst Jim Fox describing the play:

There was a forearm by Jarret Stoll to the back of the head of Ian White. White’s head went foreward, I believe it made direct contact with the dasherboards or the glass. You have to let up when hitting from behind, and if possible you have to stay away from the head. It looked like the Kings dodged a bullet there as it looked like they hit from behind and to the head.

Once again, that was the Los Angeles broadcaster’s desciption of the play. Against Nashville in the first round of the playoffs there was an elbow to the head from behind and a knee on knee hit. Against Edmonton there was an elbow coming across the neutral zone to the head of Milan Michalek. Calgary’s Cory Sarich earned a power play for his team, which resulted in a go-ahead goal, for an elbow that bloodied the head of Patrick Marleau. Not for nothing, an earlier headshot by Jarome Iginla on Marleau lead off the league’s video on banning head shots the following season (that was not called at the time either). The NHL’s revamped concussion protocols in this instance appear to be moot because Ian White’s injury was so severe. The no-call on the ice, and the pittance of a suspension really are crossed messages. When Joe Thornton was suspended for 2-games after a hit to David Perron, a hit which knocked out Perron for the season, Thornton asked the NHL what he should have done differently on the play. According to Thornton the league had no response.

Sharks playoff teams of the past would turn the other cheek, put their heads down and try to win the game. This year’s model has much different vibe. Not really sure of the gameplan for Dean Lombardi, Terry Murray and company. Los Angeles has a much worse chance in a knock down drag out series than they do playing it straight.

[Update2] Multiple sources: NHL gives Jarret Stoll one game suspension for hit on Ian White – David Pollak’s Working the Corners blog.

[Update3] Kings-Sharks already causing fireworks – Pierre LeBrun for ESPN.com.