Derian Hatcher BITES Travis Zajac in scrum!

[cmw00]

http://www.nj.com/devils/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1199511310320470.xml&coll=1

Hatcher bites Zajac; Devils taste victory
Saturday, January 05, 2008
BY RICH CHERE
Star-Ledger Staff

The Philadelphia Flyers used to be fighting mad. Now, having been dominated by the Devils for so long, they're biting mad.

In one of the most bizarre incidents in recent NHL history, Flyers defenseman Derian Hatcher bit the middle finger on Devils center Travis Zajac's left hand last night during a second-period scrum. It drew enough blood to require stitches, and may also draw a suspension after a review from the league.

[Canesluver]

oh, good lord! what a girlie-man (and no offense ladies-- but you know what I mean)

[SC06]

And again with the Flyers....what the hell?

[Mona2006]

What a childish and dangerous thing to do. The Mike Tyson of the NHL. :crazy:

[StormShaman]

OK, perhaps I just need to have my coffee today--but I totally did not parse the last word in the subject line as "scrum". :eek2:

[caniac369]

Was he trying to bite off 'the precious'?

Sorry, we watched the LOTR trilogy over Christmas...

[Kat]

Okay, weird. WTF? Bites??

[StormShaman]

Was he trying to bite off 'the precious'?

Sorry, we watched the LOTR trilogy over Christmas...

:crazy:

[apolinar]

Will this get a team fine or sanction? It just boggles my mind... this isn't Flyers hockey of the past where there was a reason to the bullying, pounding, and intimidation. This is just psycho...

[kermelbar]

The Flyers were warned by the NHL that if something else happened, they'd be in trouble with the league as a team, right? I wonder if something this crazy will count?

[Guyute]

what a whack-job. wtf?

[Canesluver]

OK, perhaps I just need to have my coffee today--but I totally did not parse the last word in the subject line as "scrum". :eek2:

scrotum?

[puck_it]

AND HE'S A FLYER!

and of course no penalty was called

[nccanes]

scrotum?

Bingo. That's exactly what I read the first time too! :eek2:

[RIO]

*morbid howling laughter of disdain*

White. Trash. Theater. Next thing you know, someone's going to bring their "fenced-in area" with them to a game so the other biters will have a place to wait before puck-drop.

[guinevere]

Bingo. That's exactly what I read the first time too! :eek2:

Yeah, I was sitting here wondering what a scrum was...duh....

[Captain Slack]

Here comes suspension #6!!!

Wanna bet the league gives him a 2-game slap on the wrist and tells the team, "No more shenanigans! We mean it this time!"

[Alicia]

Oh, brother...:crazy:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

You have got to be kidding me. That's just freakin' nasty.

[Lady J]

Here comes suspension #6!!!

Wanna bet the league gives him a 2-game slap on the wrist and tells the team, "No more shenanigans! We mean it this time!"

Now, now, no need to use such biting language, sir!

[RIO]

Now, now, no need to use such biting language, sir!

*puts money in the tip jar*

[Kat]

This doesn't seem to be broadcast as a big deal on any of the NHL sites, so I bet he gets nothing and it all blows over.

Btw, is there even a biting penalty? Of course, it seems that would be right there in the same camp as a "stabbing" or "shooting" penalty... Geebus.

[SC06]

Let's see, Hatcher could be # 6 and tool bag Downie could be # 7. WTF is going on? When the heck is the NHL going to bring the hammer down on the Flyers management. Obviously something needs to be done that will impact that organization.

Also, why the heck is that Downie punch going to be investigated, but not Avery's on Ladd? Oh wait, Blake got hit this time and he is more of a name then Ladd, not to mention it was a Leaf and not just a Cane that got sucker punched.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=226629&hubname=nhl

[puck_it]

because ladd's injury was on the initial punch not the bull**** sucker punch around the linesman

[SC06]

because ladd's injury was on the initial punch not the bull**** sucker punch around the linesman

Avery also landed an uppercut on Ladd when Ladd was bent down, who is to say that punch did not add to Ladd's injury? We won't know for sure, still a bunch of BS. If Downie gets suspended for a few cheap punches while Blake was being held, then the same should have applied to Avery, plain and simple.

[livinthedream]

Flyers probably wish he had been suspended, now that he's taking out his own teammates.

Flyers F Lupul out with spinal cord contusion, concussion
Associated Press
Jan 6, 2008, 5:55 PM EST

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Philadelphia Flyers forward Joffrey Lupul was expected miss at least two weeks because of a spinal cord contusion and a mild concussion.

Lupul collided with teammate Darien Hatcher in Philadelphia's 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and spent the night in the hospital.

"Right now we have to give Joffrey some complete time off," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said Sunday. "He's going to take a couple weeks off from doing pretty much everything and then we'll evaluate him at that point two weeks from now."

Lupul has 16 goals and 19 assists in 39 games this season.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDCmAIw9kqc

[cmw00]

This is what the latest Downie fuss is all about?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgYYtupLtoI

Seriously... why are they trying so hard to break these guys up? Just let'em fight! When these players get like this they obviously aren't thinking clearly so just let them go! I mean as long as its a fair even fight. I can understand if somebody jumps somebody else from behind. But when two guys have a fair start why stop them? Could have saved Ladd...

[puck_it]

yeah, well, you need to have your career be at least less than 50% suspension time to not have everything you do reviewed.

I'm giving downie 2 years before he's banned for life.

[caneshockeychick]

Nothing for Downie this time

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=226678&hubname=nhl

[SC06]

They did bring up the Ladd/Avery incident on XM today and their explanation on why nothing was made of it was because they said Ladd was a willing participant to fight with Avery. That was just their opinion though.

[nccanes]

^That's probably fair. It doesn't change what Avery did, but as their "fight" unfolded, Avery was the first one detained while Ladd was skating around w/o gloves (granted, not throwing a punch). When Ladd finally approached Avery, he (Ladd) did reach out first. I can't tell from the video I've seen if he was just reaching for the jersey to grab or really trying to throw a punch that just didn't connect.

Blake being pinned against the boards and not having dropped his gloves does make it "worse" imo. Downie obviously isn't concerned with walking the line on the conservative side.

Lets hope Downie stays clear of our guys. :eek2:

[caveman]

Re: Hatcher bites Zajac

Hatch claimed that Zajac was giving him a post-whistle face wash and actually injured his teeth on the play.

Lesson learned: don't give Snaggletooth a face wash.

[svandijk1]

So he bit him with those "injured" teeth?
How do you injure teeth with a face wash?

[nccanes]

lol, I would read that he injured his teeth when he bit Zajac?

[Esbee]

I'm glad he's bleeding, but...


Flyers D Hatcher denies biting Zajac
PA SportsTicker
Published: Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Derian Hatcher did his best impersonation of Roger Clemens on Friday night.

Following his team's 3-0 loss to New Jersey, Hatcher pleaded innocent when accused of biting Devils center Travis Zajac's finger during a scrum in the second period.

Zajac, who scored his sixth goal of the season in the victory, received stitches after suffering a gash on the middle finger of his left hand following the confrontation.

"There's a first time for everything," an amazed Zajac said. "I don't know. I just got hit."

The 35-year-old Hatcher, who is in his 15th NHL season and third with Philadelphia, denied biting Zajac but was not disappointed the 22-year-old was injured during the incident.

"If he's cut, good, but I didn't bite him," Hatcher said. "I didn't think anything of it until someone mentioned it."

New Jersey coach Brent Sutter saw a replay of the scuffle after the game and shot down Hatcher's denial.

"The angle that we have shows Trav pulling his hand away, and the glove is still in Hatcher's mouth," Sutter said. "It's like a dog on a bone."

Sutter is hoping Hatcher will pay the price for his actions once the NHL reviews the game tapes.

"I think the league obviously has to look at something like that," Sutter said. "You've got a player that obviously bit another player in a scrum. But that will be up to the league to determine if anything comes of it. It's not something you like to see in a game, let alone (from) a veteran player like that."

[svandijk1]

He was able to draw blood biting *through* the glove?!? Jeebus.

[puck_it]

the palms of gloves these days are pretty thin

[livinthedream]

I read somewhere (will try to find it) that Zajac already had a wound on his hand that was re-opened during the "inadvertant collision with Hatcher's teeth".