Aaron Rome Suspended For Hit On Horton

[BingJohnson]

Out for the rest of the series/playoffs/season... Call it what you will. This would've been clean had it not been so damn late. I also think that the suspension was levied because Horton is unable to play. If he had popped right back up, there would have been no suspension.

www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=565103


The hit:

[Obiwan316]

Yeah, they had to up the ante because Horton is done.

It was a little late but not an overly dirty hit IMO. It is not a Scott Stevens late hit.

[BingJohnson]

I agree. I am perfectly fine with an interference call here. But I don't like a 4 game suspension. And I say that as a person who is rooting for Boston.

[BuckFly]

Bing I hear you, but your statement is a little contradictory: because it is so late is the problem.

I'm on the other side of the fence...Rowe should have gotten suspended going into next year.

[BingJohnson]

I know what you're saying about being contradictory. I just meant that the hit itself was not malicious. It was shoulder to chest and not from the blindside. It's unfortunate that Horton got hurt. If he wasn't hurt, it would've just been an interference call. That's all.

I just don't want to see the NHL turn into the NFL where everytime there is a big hit, people are calling for suspensions. I miss the days where when a guy got laid out coming into the zone, the announcer would say, "That's why you have to keep your head on a swivel." Hitting is part of the game as well as part of a defensemans repertoire. I don't want to see that taken away.

The difference between a 4 game suspension in the Cup Finals and a great defensive play in this case is less than one second.