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  4. title => "Morrissey avoids suspension for Oshie body slam in a decision that makes little sense"
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  6. article_body => "<p>The Department of Player Safety announced Thursday that Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey was fined $8,467.74 for his body slam of T.J. Oshie in Wednesday\u2019s game. It is a punishment that falls well short of the standard the DPS itself set earlier this season.<\/p>\n<p>Late in Wednesday\u2019s game between the Caps and Jets, Oshie skated to the corner of the offensive zone after the puck while locked in a physical battle with Morrissey. Morrissey checked Oshie into the boards, then, as he was falling back, Morrissey slammed Oshie down to the ice. Oshie appeared to be dazed after the play which is troubling given his history of concussions.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\ude20 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PgntU3Ztsv\">pic.twitter.com\/PgntU3Ztsv<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSCapitals\/status\/1062912546192195589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 15, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n \n<p>There is nothing wrong with the initial hit. Both players were battling for the puck making Oshie eligible to be hit. The problem is after the hit when Morrissey slams him to the ice afterward, which is unnecessary and dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, c\u2019mon, you may be saying, Morrissey was just finishing his check! That\u2019s not an argument anymore considering the DPS already suspended a player for doing the exact same thing earlier this season when&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/video\/floridas-mike-matheson-suspended-hitting-vancouvers-elias-pettersson\">Florida Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson slammed Vancouver Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson to the ice<\/a>. Matheson was suspended two games for the play.<\/p>\n<p>Matheson\u2019s suspension was a matter of some debate within the hockey community not just because some argued Matheson was finishing his check on a hockey play, but because it was made to look worse by the fact that Pettersson is only 176 pounds, nearly 20 pounds lighter than Matheson. The DPS didn\u2019t buy it and Matheson was suspended.<\/p>\n<p>If you compare the Morrissey and the Matheson hits, they are very similar. Matheson hits Pettersson with a legal check, just as Morrissey did with Oshie. Matheson then slammed Pettersson to the ice after the initial check, just as Morrissey did with Oshie. One can quibble somewhat with the fact that Petterrsson\u2019s skates came off the ice making the throw down more violent, but the two plays are similar enough that, in my opinion, it is fair to compare them and the corresponding punishment. In fact, one could easily argue that the Morrissey hit is worse considering he and Oshie are both listed as 195 pounds. Oshie didn\u2019t go down to the ice because of a size disparity, Morrissey had to physically slam him down.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Morrissey is considered a repeat offender after getting suspended in the 2018 playoffs for a crosscheck to Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal. To be fair, being a repeat offender is not supposed to affect the DPS\u2019s decision on whether a play is worthy of a suspension or not, it is only meant to be taken into consideration when determining the length of a suspension.<\/p>\n<p>But the remains that the DPS was presented with two very similar plays within one month of each other and came up with two completely different punishments. That is more than a little head scratching.<\/p>\n<p>The DPS has one of the toughest jobs in hockey. No matter what they do, most people are going to be unhappy with the decisions they make. It\u2019s the nature of the job when it comes to determining supplemental discipline. Having said that, the one thing people should be able to expect from the DPS is consistency. The Morrissey hit on Oshie seemed like a slam-dunk considering a very similar play happened a month before and resulted in a two-game suspension.<\/p>\n<p>But hey, Caps fans can at least take comfort in the fact that Morrissey was issued the maximum fine allowed by the CBA. So there\u2019s that.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>MORE CAPITALS NEWS:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Prospect Report:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/capitals-prospect-report-axel-jonsson-fjallby-goes-home\">Axel&nbsp;Jonsson-Fjallby goes home<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Troll Level 100:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/capitals-fan-travels-antarctica-remind-actual-penguins-who-stanley-cup-champions-are\">Caps fan goes to Antartica to remind penguins who won&nbsp;Cup<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Kuzy Out of the Game:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/evgeny-kuznetsov-leaves-game-after-taking-elbow-head\">Kuznetsov leaves&nbsp;<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/evgeny-kuznetsov-leaves-game-after-taking-elbow-head\">the game<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/evgeny-kuznetsov-leaves-game-after-taking-elbow-head\">&nbsp;after taking an elbow to&nbsp;head<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><div class=\"video-filter art19-player-iframe\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/4240acad-ca2e-4317-920c-3c7fa6f83f2a\/episodes\/b423699c-3003-4ef4-9240-383ba781cd94\/embed?theme=light-blue\" width=\"100%\" height=\"250px\" class=\"video-filter video-art19 vf-4240acadca2e4317920c3c7fa6f83f2a vf-b423699c30034ef49240383ba781cd94embed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"Art19 Player\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/p>\n"
  7. author => "J.J. Regan"
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Capitals

Capitals

The Department of Player Safety announced Thursday that Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey was fined $8,467.74 for his body slam of T.J. Oshie in Wednesday’s game. It is a punishment that falls well short of the standard the DPS itself set earlier this season.

Late in Wednesday’s game between the Caps and Jets, Oshie skated to the corner of the offensive zone after the puck while locked in a physical battle with Morrissey. Morrissey checked Oshie into the boards, then, as he was falling back, Morrissey slammed Oshie down to the ice. Oshie appeared to be dazed after the play which is troubling given his history of concussions.

There is nothing wrong with the initial hit. Both players were battling for the puck making Oshie eligible to be hit. The problem is after the hit when Morrissey slams him to the ice afterward, which is unnecessary and dangerous.

Oh, c’mon, you may be saying, Morrissey was just finishing his check! That’s not an argument anymore considering the DPS already suspended a player for doing the exact same thing earlier this season when Florida Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson slammed Vancouver Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson to the ice. Matheson was suspended two games for the play.

Matheson’s suspension was a matter of some debate within the hockey community not just because some argued Matheson was finishing his check on a hockey play, but because it was made to look worse by the fact that Pettersson is only 176 pounds, nearly 20 pounds lighter than Matheson. The DPS didn’t buy it and Matheson was suspended.

 

If you compare the Morrissey and the Matheson hits, they are very similar. Matheson hits Pettersson with a legal check, just as Morrissey did with Oshie. Matheson then slammed Pettersson to the ice after the initial check, just as Morrissey did with Oshie. One can quibble somewhat with the fact that Petterrsson’s skates came off the ice making the throw down more violent, but the two plays are similar enough that, in my opinion, it is fair to compare them and the corresponding punishment. In fact, one could easily argue that the Morrissey hit is worse considering he and Oshie are both listed as 195 pounds. Oshie didn’t go down to the ice because of a size disparity, Morrissey had to physically slam him down.

In addition, Morrissey is considered a repeat offender after getting suspended in the 2018 playoffs for a crosscheck to Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal. To be fair, being a repeat offender is not supposed to affect the DPS’s decision on whether a play is worthy of a suspension or not, it is only meant to be taken into consideration when determining the length of a suspension.

But the remains that the DPS was presented with two very similar plays within one month of each other and came up with two completely different punishments. That is more than a little head scratching.

The DPS has one of the toughest jobs in hockey. No matter what they do, most people are going to be unhappy with the decisions they make. It’s the nature of the job when it comes to determining supplemental discipline. Having said that, the one thing people should be able to expect from the DPS is consistency. The Morrissey hit on Oshie seemed like a slam-dunk considering a very similar play happened a month before and resulted in a two-game suspension.

But hey, Caps fans can at least take comfort in the fact that Morrissey was issued the maximum fine allowed by the CBA. So there’s that.

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