Duxbury High Hockey Lawsuit

[MarshCappa]

What a joke!!!!

The hit on Tucker Hannon - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

[Piscator]

Tucker and his parents should be ashamed of themselves.

[MarshCappa]

I heard the case was thrown out on Friday. Really? Why? Cuz it was a legal hit!!!!! This is the world we live in! Spoiled kid gets his bell rung and cries to Mommy and Daddy to do something!! Daddy pays his lawyer and tries to get the other kid convicted! Tucker is in for a long haul in the court of public opinion thanks to his snobby parents.

[PRBuzz]

The case was dismissed when the hitter apologized (they kissed and made up)

[Mike P]

Head shot---Shanahan gives that kid a 3 game suspension in the NHL.

[MarshCappa]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Head shot---Shanahan gives that kid a 3 game suspension in the NHL.

I don't know, I watched it a bunch of times and didn't see a hit to the head. I saw his head snap back though. The kid who laid him out is 6'4" and 225 hitting a kid who's 5'9" and 145!! I would have sued the Dux High coach for letting his munchkin on the ice at the same time as this hulk!

[fishbones]

The parents and the kid are pussies.

[spence]

I read an article a few weeks ago about how some are worried professional hockey could be doomed as protective parents aren't letting their kids play contact.

If you think this is crazy the stats they had on youth concussions in Canada were hard to believe.

-spence

[JohnnyD]

This is why I'm afraid of what this country is going to be like in another generation. Right now, kids are too coddled by their parents. What's it going to be like when the pussified generation has kids?

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by MarshCappa

I don't know, I watched it a bunch of times and didn't see a hit to the head. I saw his head snap back though. The kid who laid him out is 6'4" and 225 hitting a kid who's 5'9" and 145!! I would have sued the Dux High coach for letting his munchkin on the ice at the same time as this hulk!

I watched it a bunch of times, too, and it looked to me like the big kid put his shoulder right on the other kid's hat. With 7" of height over him, how low could he drop that shoulder for the hit?

Up until a year or so ago, when the NHL started getting a little more serious about concussions, that was a completely legal hit. Refs also don't call penalties most of the time--the suspension comes later after Shanahan reviews the tape.

Riddell and Schott really need to get into making hockey helmets, the way that football helmets are made. I think kids would be better off wearing bicycle helmets on the ice, than with the hockey helmets available.

[MarshCappa]

Originally Posted by Mike P

I watched it a bunch of times, too, and it looked to me like the big kid put his shoulder right on the other kid's hat. With 7" of height over him, how low could he drop that shoulder for the hit?

Up until a year or so ago, when the NHL started getting a little more serious about concussions, that was a completely legal hit. Refs also don't call penalties most of the time--the suspension comes later after Shanahan reviews the tape.

Riddell and Schott really need to get into making hockey helmets, the way that football helmets are made. I think kids would be better off wearing bicycle helmets on the ice, than with the hockey helmets available.

You know what, you're right. I just paused it at the point of impact and his left shoulder is on the right side of his face. The kid turned his head at the last second but it was a blow to the head.

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

This is why I'm afraid of what this country is going to be like in another generation. Right now, kids are too coddled by their parents. What's it going to be like when the pussified generation has kids?

Hell, you can't even play dodge ball in elementary schools anymore!

[MarshCappa]

NHL players, researchers take hard look at helmets - 7NEWS Boston News WHDH-TV 7NEWS WHDH.COM

http://www.patriotledger.com/topstor...from-the-start

Duxbury Hockey Player Gets Apology From Scituate Kid Who Decked Him In Court Barstool Sports: Boston

[Piscator]

Originally Posted by MarshCappa

Duxbury Hockey Player Gets Apology From Scituate Kid Who Decked Him In Court Barstool Sports: Boston

Check out Gretzky's daughter if you click on the attached link


As for the hit, I hope that will teach this Tucker kid to keep his head up the next time he comes through the slot...........

[Mr. Sandman]

1) This is not the NHL. its HS hockey.

My son plays HS hockey in MA and I have attended nearly every game for several years. It can get chippy. He is more of the 5'9/145 size .

Legal issues aside, IMO that was a high hit and he went for his head. no question. Size has nothing to do with it. You can not hit the head and you can not hit from behind, period. Every high hit I have seen like that (and I have seen several this season alone at the HS level where kids were not even hurt) has been delt with game misconduct, major penalty, and the kid normally misses between 2 and 5 games. Further, if the TEAM gets more than 3 of those during the season, they are done, even if they are in the playoffs. (I have read the MIAA rulebook and spoken to refs about why they made the call they did)

This was yet another ref problem in MA which has some of the most inconsistent refs I have ever seen.

My son was recently playing in Canada against Canadian teams and the refs are completely different...They never let it escalate to get to this. Looking at clips like this do not show the problem....I would bet my last dollar that there were other factors prior in the game that led up to this and if they refs would have shut down that behavior, this probably would not have happened.


As far as it being "clean".... come on, he almost took his head off. No way that was clean. A clean hit is a shoulder to chest hit...that was no clean hit. The hitter came at him with his arms which were WAY too high.

Yes you do expect to make contact when you play sports like this but not be decapitated, this is HS sports, these are kids. I don't care if the kid is nice, and didn't mean to do it. He hit him high. There is a penalty for that. It should have been called.

If you look at these two stills...

1) the kid is lining him up for a hit after the puck is gone and the goalie has it

2) the second show the hitters arms and hands


bad hit.


Further if you watch the ref who saw the hit, right after the hit, he raised his arm indicating a penalty

[MarshCappa]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sandman

1) This is not the NHL. its HS hockey.

My son plays HS hockey in MA and I have attended nearly every game for several years. It can get chippy. He is more of the 5'9/145 size .

Legal issues aside, IMO that was a high hit and he went for his head. no question. Size has nothing to do with it. You can not hit the head and you can not hit from behind, period. Every high hit I have seen like that (and I have seen several this season alone at the HS level where kids were not even hurt) has been delt with game misconduct, major penalty, and the kid normally misses between 2 and 5 games. Further, if the TEAM gets more than 3 of those during the season, they are done, even if they are in the playoffs. (I have read the MIAA rulebook and spoken to refs about why they made the call they did)

This was yet another ref problem in MA which has some of the most inconsistent refs I have ever seen.

My son was recently playing in Canada against Canadian teams and the refs are completely different...They never let it escalate to get to this. Looking at clips like this do not show the problem....I would bet my last dollar that there were other factors prior in the game that led up to this and if they refs would have shut down that behavior, this probably would not have happened.


As far as it being "clean".... come on, he almost took his head off. No way that was clean. A clean hit is a shoulder to chest hit...that was no clean hit. The hitter came at him with his arms which were WAY too high.

Yes you do expect to make contact when you play sports like this but not be decapitated, this is HS sports, these are kids. I don't care if the kid is nice, and didn't mean to do it. He hit him high. There is a penalty for that. It should have been called.

If you look at these two stills...

1) the kid is lining him up for a hit after the puck is gone and the goalie has it

2) the second show the hitters arms and hands


bad hit.


Further if you watch the ref who saw the hit, right after the hit, he raised his arm indicating a penalty

Would you press charges against the kid if he hit your kid like that?
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[spence]

After watching the video I'm not sure there's legal grounds for assault and battery, although I could see the kid being suspended for the season or even the rest of his HS hockey career. It did seem like a serious cheap shot that should be zero tolerance at that age. Good HS hockey players have skills but lack maturity.

-spence

[MarshCappa]

Originally Posted by spence

After watching the video I'm not sure there's legal grounds for assault and battery, although I could see the kid being suspended for the season or even the rest of his HS hockey career. It did seem like a serious cheap shot that should be zero tolerance at that age. Good HS hockey players have skills but lack maturity.

-spence

The Judge was sure and threw it out because it's a waste of taxpayors money to settle something that should have been handled on the ice by the refs. The kid is a good kid and has a bright future(national honors society & heading to Williams in the fall) but a snooty family with money from Duxbury thought he should go to jail.

Mike P and Sandman enlightened me to come around that the hit was high but what i was most pissed about is the audacity of these parents to press charges against the kid. During my athletic career I had 3 trips to the hospital and one was life threatening(lacerated kidney) and the thought to press charges against the kids that hit me never crossed my parents minds. I tell what they did though, they made sure I knew how to protect myself by paying attention to what the coaches were teaching us about the game and to never take a play off or go half speed. Sorry, somehow this story has a struck a chord with me. Thanks Mike P and Sandman for breaking down the hit. It should have been a penalty and suspension. Assault and battery? Give me a break!

[spence]

Agree with the judge, it's really a slippery slope argument you don't want to go down. Stuff happens on the ice, but at that age it should be taken very seriously.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Piscator]

I’m no expert but I did play Hockey through the collegiate level. This hit was not as bad a hit as you think, in my opinion. Stop it at the 9 second mark. The Tucker kid shot the puck and was hit in the same second (second 9). There is no clear head shot, he didn’t leave his feet. His arms come up after the hit. Also, if you look at it in slow motion the Tucker kids legs are bent prior to the hit and he is almost crouched down. High School or not it’s Hockey, not golf and part of the game is knowing where you are, where the other team is, and keeping your head up. You don’t go to court over a marginal hit, that is BS and that family should be ashamed of themselves. They are making a joke of the game. I bet that Tucker kids Dad never laced them up in his life.

Also, I’ve played many games in Canada and there were games that got completely out of control at the Bantam level (9th and 10th grade) because the Canadian refs on those games let it get away. One of the parents from North York Ontario spit on out Goalie as we were walking to the dressing room because we beat them. So the Canadian comment is not accurate in my opinion either. There are good refs in Massachusetts and bad ones, just like Canada. Same goes for parents.

[Mr. Sandman]

As I said" legal issues aside", I don't know what his options are and no I would not be suing any one. I also think the player being hit was not protecting himself from him but it doesn't matter, if you put your self in a vulnerable position nowadays it is the responsibly of the player making contact to avoid high hits. The hit was high and it should have been a major penalty with suspension to be consistent with the current rules in HS hockey.

As I said, I in the last few years, they are coming down very hard on head hits or anything close to head hits and from from behind. It's not like the old days anymore. Heck there is now NO checking at all in youth hockey, none thru Bantam hockey in most leagues. I have witnessed extreme penalties for far less where the player being hit was not hurt and continued playing and the hit was a glancing blow...in this league. What I am saying is there extreme inconsistency among HS refs in this state. I know many calls are subjective, and I accept that but given the amount of attn head hits are getting you would think that when a kid gets knocked out like that...the rules should be very consistent.

Like it or not, the game is different now. Youth and HS hockey is not Hockey as we played it.

There is talk now of having a new hitting rule established which prevents any contact a certain distance near the boards. I don't know if this is going to fly but I keep hearing about it.

Time to go squidding...

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sandman

1) This is not the NHL. its HS hockey.

My son plays HS hockey in MA and I have attended nearly every game for several years. It can get chippy. He is more of the 5'9/145 size .

Legal issues aside, IMO that was a high hit and he went for his head. no question. Size has nothing to do with it. You can not hit the head and you can not hit from behind, period. Every high hit I have seen like that (and I have seen several this season alone at the HS level where kids were not even hurt) has been delt with game misconduct, major penalty, and the kid normally misses between 2 and 5 games. Further, if the TEAM gets more than 3 of those during the season, they are done, even if they are in the playoffs. (I have read the MIAA rulebook and spoken to refs about why they made the call they did)

This was yet another ref problem in MA which has some of the most inconsistent refs I have ever seen.

My son was recently playing in Canada against Canadian teams and the refs are completely different...They never let it escalate to get to this. Looking at clips like this do not show the problem....I would bet my last dollar that there were other factors prior in the game that led up to this and if they refs would have shut down that behavior, this probably would not have happened.


As far as it being "clean".... come on, he almost took his head off. No way that was clean. A clean hit is a shoulder to chest hit...that was no clean hit. The hitter came at him with his arms which were WAY too high.

Yes you do expect to make contact when you play sports like this but not be decapitated, this is HS sports, these are kids. I don't care if the kid is nice, and didn't mean to do it. He hit him high. There is a penalty for that. It should have been called.

If you look at these two stills...

1) the kid is lining him up for a hit after the puck is gone and the goalie has it

2) the second show the hitters arms and hands


bad hit.


Further if you watch the ref who saw the hit, right after the hit, he raised his arm indicating a penalty

You can't compare HS hockey to the NHL. The NHL game is played by elite athletes who are much faster and stronger than these kids. Granted, it's still a fast and violent game, but nothing like the NHL or even junior hockey.

How can you know that he was going for the kids head? The entire play happened in a split second. It's easy to watch a video in slow motion or look at still photos and draw conclusions, but unless you can read the bigger kids mind you have no idea what he was thinking. Having played hockey my whole life, I know things happen quickly and you don't always have the time to thnk about where your shoulder is going to hit the other player.

Hits to the head happen almost every game. You line up a player and when they try to go low around you they sometimes catch an elbow or sholder to the head. It's even worse when the kid getting hit is skating with his head down. That's what happened in this case. Shame on his coach for not drilling it into his head to keep his head up and on a swivel when you are carrying the puck. And as far as the puck being out of his posession, see how long it was off his stick in real time. The hit was a continuation of the play.

It sucks that he got hurt, but injuries happen in sports. That's why they have parents sign waivers. I broke an ankle playing hockey my junior year because the Zamboni entrance doors weren't closed all the way. I didn't sue the rink. I skated the last 3 weeks of the season taped up and got a cast when the season ended. My senior year, I got hit from behind into the boards and fractured my right hand behind all 4 of my fingers (boxers fracture). The kid who hit me got a minor penalty and I missed the rest of the season. And get this, I never even thought to press charges or sue him. My freshman year playing football, I was speared when I reached up to catch a pass. I ended up in the ICU with a ruptured speen and cracked ribs. I missed 6 weeks of school because they missed the speen at first and sent me home to rest my ribs. I almost bled out that weekend at home. Thank goodness my mom recognized that I was white as a ghost and took me back to the ER. I never thought to press charges agaisnt the kid who hit me or sue the hospital for almost letting me die. I figured that there were risks to playing violent sports.

This country is gonna end up with a bunch of kids growing up afraid of taking risks because their parents shielded them from life. It's pretty sad.

[Piscator]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sandman

Time to go squidding...

Ok, dumb question and unrelated to the thread, what is up with the Squid ink? Does is just wash off, is it like real ink? Does it stink?

[PRBuzz]

There is some much more attention and knowledge about the detrimental effects of concussions in the last 5+ yrs that brings these hits (legal or not) to the attention of all.

Consider all the potentially great and great NHL players sitting out game-after-game or retired due to long term concussion effects.

Look at the NFL: (CNN) -- More than 100 former professional football players, including former Atlanta Falcons Jamal Anderson, Chris Doleman, and O.J. Santiago, are adding their names a growing list of players suing the NFL.
They join more than 1,500 other players who claim that the National Football League hid the dangers of concussions from them.

[InTheHole]

I have been coaching youth hockey for 9 seasons now, my oldest played HS varsity as a freshman last year, middle child is a 2nd year peewee, and the last one is a 2nd year squirt...... I have seen, been a part of, a lot of youth hockey games. I think the fact that someone would try to sue over this his is about as ridiculous as it gets, but I will say that I cannot believe that kid wasn't given a penalty/major for a hit to the head. In my experience especially in the last 3-4 years any head contact is called, unintentional or not.
My oldest son is 15 years old and is 6'4" and has been called numerous times over the years for head contact during a check, not dirty head hunting checks but a clean hit that made contact with the head because of the size differences. On many occasions I have had refs come to the bench and state that even though it was a clean hit they have to call it due to contact with the head.

The Hannon kid that shot the puck also has to be aware and have his head up, especially at the high school level.

Now USA Hockey ( governing body ) for a majority of the youth leagues, voted last July to remove body checking from from the PeeWee level and start it at the Bantam level. They did this because they have studies that show that if a child receives a concussion in the 11-13yo range that it has a more dramatic effect on the brain than at any other point. The jury is still out on this one as far as I am concerned, while during this development stage as a player I have kids that are progressing faster and are more confident with the puck because no one is going to clean their clock, but there is nothing like the fact of knowing you can be hit to teach you to keep your head up.
My fear is that when these kids move into Bantams where kids have already been checking for 2 years, we are going to see a lot more of the Hannon like plays, where the kid's head is down and a larger/more skilled player lowers the boom.

[bart]

Plain and simple, don't play or let your kids if you don't want to get hit. It's friggin' hockey for Christ's sake! It's the only sport where fist fights are ENCOURAGED. I didn't think it was a dirty hit and I thought it was a JOKE that it went to court. Good for the judge for throwing out that garbage...

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by bart

Plain and simple, don't play or let your kids if you don't want to get hit. It's friggin' hockey for Christ's sake! It's the only sport where fist fights are ENCOURAGED. I didn't think it was a dirty hit and I thought it was a JOKE that it went to court. Good for the judge for throwing out that garbage...

Actually, fighting at any level in Europe, and other than at the professional level in North America, gets you thrown out of the game, and suspended for the next one.

In high school, in some associations, it gets you suspended for the rest of the year.

In the NCAA you get suspended for the remainder of the season after the second fight.

[Piscator]

Most "fights" in the NCAA are called as "roughing". It's got to be bad for the ref to call it a fight...........
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[bart]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Actually, fighting at any level in Europe, and other than at the professional level in North America, gets you thrown out of the game, and suspended for the next one.

In high school, in some associations, it gets you suspended for the rest of the year.

In the NCAA you get suspended for the remainder of the season after the second fight.

I'm talking on a professional level, which I would imagine, most young athletes aspire to be and model their game after...

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by Piscator

Most "fights" in the NCAA are called as "roughing". It's got to be bad for the ref to call it a fight...........
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Actually, the basic rule is this---gloves stay on, it's roughing. Gloves get dropped, it's fighting. Dropping the gloves is almost an automatic game misconduct and suspension for the next game. Of course, if you keep on throwing gloved haymakers after the refs move in, it's going to be called a fighting penalty and you'll sit out the next game.