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Your morning hockey notes begin with a couple items from last night's big 3-1 victory by the Preds at Detroit, then move on to the issue which seems to be consuming the rest of the NHL these days. Another dangerous hit, this time with Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres laying out Chicago's Marian Hossa, has people wondering if a culture of violence has suddenly taken over the world of hockey, and what, if anything, should be done about it...
First off, here's the video of the Torres-Hossa hit:
Nashville Predators News
Preds fans welcome team back from Detroit just after midnight | Lumination Network
Kudos to the Smashville faithful who met the team at the airport last night!
Kevin Klein and the Best Goal Ever - Predlines
Caroline breaks down Marty's bait & switch job on the Detroit defense last night.
Postgame ponderings - Predators Insider
Pekka stole the show with these two games in Detroit, but he's not the only hero, writes Josh.
Saginaw Spirit’s Greg Gilbert named OHL coach of the year - Buzzing The Net
The credit, naturally, goes to Preds prospect Josh Shalla.
Thanks to OTF reader Linda for sending this my way, a Hockey Night in Canada report about how the Preds are getting Detroit to commit so many penalties:
Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey
Phoenix Coyotes @ Chicago Blackhawks Game 3 Recap: Road Warriors - Five For Howling
Phoenix took another overtime victory, pulling ahead two games to one.
2012 NHL Playoffs: Panthers 4, Devils 3 - Game Three Recap - Litter Box Cats
The Panthers earn a huge win here, assuming a 2-1 lead in a series which just about everyone (including me) predicted them to lose handily.
Marian Hossa Leaves Game On Stretcher After Raffi Torres Hit - SBNation.com
In my eyes, this is much like the Aaron Rome hit in last season's Cup Final, which drew a 4-game suspension. Except Torres has more of a history with this stuff. The good news came later that Hossa was released from the hospital and is expected to be OK.
Raffi Torres defends Marian Hossa hit as ‘hockey play’; Toews, Blackhawks furious | Puck Daddy
Shocking! The Coyotes too a "see no evil" approach while the Blackhawks are outraged that the officials didn't call anything at the time.
Jonathan Toews leads players speaking out over NHL violence - The Globe and Mail
Hmm... I wonder what Toews had to say about Hossa avoiding a suspension when he dangerously drilled Dan Hamhuis into the end boards during the 2010 playoffs.
Up to 1 man to curb violence after another night marred by dirty play - Allan Muir - SI.com
This is right on the money - the only way major change is going to come with regard to suspensions and player safety is if the Players' Association makes it a priority in the upcoming CBA negotiations, and gets involved on a regular basis.
A Spiral into Utter Silliness - The Spin
Someone needs to remind Mike Modano ratings are way up.
The View from 111: Intent and Extent: A Fool's Errand, an Impossible Standard
Mark joins the chorus of critics lambasting the way the NHL approaches supplementary discipline.
NHL Must Legislate "Honor" | Hockey Independent
A nice bit of perspective here for those who think playoff hockey is taking a turn for the worse.
Wheel of justice lands: James Neal suspended 1 game, Arron Asham suspended 4 games - PensBurgh
At long last, the Penguins received their punishment for the Game 3 nonsense.
Diving in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: Marchand, Kesler and embellishing for glory | Puck Daddy
Greg's right that diving isn't exactly a new phenomenon, but what we need are officials confident enough to call a guy for diving and not give a coincidental penalty the other way. Truly penalize a team for having their guys dive.
Systems Analyst: While you’re busy sorting out coverage, you may as well just defend that open guy beside you | Backhand Shelf
When one player gets lost on D, the whole house of cards can come tumbling down.
Transformational Potential & the Identity Map - The Goalie Guild
Who knew goaltending could be so mystical?
Philadelphia Daily News Trolls Crosby - PensBurgh
These things are fun, but you'd think a newspaper could do better than a hack job in MS Paint.
The Penguins, Flyers, Red Wings, Predators, and the best from Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs - Grantland
Katie Baker tries to sell the Grantland crowd on the glory of the NHL playoffs.
The NHL's Most Interesting Name Final Bracket: (2) Larry Goodenough vs. (7) Fred Sasakamoose - Arctic Ice Hockey
It's a battle of the 70's versus the 50's...