Video: Derek Stepan’s Headshot on Mike Green

On February 25, 2011, In Video, By Ian Oland

The New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports that the NHL will review the hit. If this isn’t the definition of a headshot, I don’t know what is. Do you think Stepan should be suspended? Let us know in the comments below.

UPDATE: Steve Zipay, who covers the Rangers for Newsday, reports that Stepan will not be suspended. However, Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted that Stepan has been fined for his actions.

Related posts:

deann

If he doesn’t get suspended, Mario will most surely leave this garage league. I am sure he is currently petitioning for strong action.
Tim

He should be suspended, but I would not be surprised if he isn’t. How many times now have players been allowed to get away with hits on the Caps that resulted in a suspension when a Caps player did the same?
Tattooed Enigma

@Tim – Your thinking the Flyers on that one. I do not believe a Caps player has been suspended at all this season.

Stepan needs to get suspended at least 4 games for this hit. Rule 48 needs to get revisited because the penalties for the head hits are way out of whack. I can name at least 7 to instances around the league where a player has been suspended and then in another a game, a different player does the same hit and gets nothing or just a fine.

Also I feel that Green came back too early. He didn’t look good to start with. I hope McPhee gets a solid defensemen to help out while Poti, and Green (I don’t see him back anytime soon) at the deadline. I hear McCabe is available.
http://www.twitter.com/peppylives Sean Meyer

Yeah she should be suspended; but why in the hell did no one step up? Brooksy, Erskine, and Gordon just watch Mike Green get rocked, and do nothing. We lost momentum, turned into little bitches, and lost the game.
Leibo

Firstly, according to the rules, he should be suspended AND it should’ve been a penalty. However, until the refs call games correctly in the FIRST place, we will continue to see retaliation penalties – and this was certainly one of those. If the cross-check by Green to Stepan’s back with his face to the boards was called, Stepan wouldn’t have to retaliate. Green should’ve gotten 2 for cross-checking and 2 for boarding. Then he would’ve come back in 4 minutes rather than missing the rest of the game. The bush-league stuff is a direct result of bad/uneven officiating and the players needing to police themselves.
DarkStranger44

Maybe we would have been better off starting Sloan instead of Green. At least tonight. Okay, no rational Caps fan would normally think that but given that Green was so iffy in health to begin with….
Craig

And nobody from the Caps did anything about it?
Caphoky

iF THE ALL STAR STUD GREEN WOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED FOR THE DANGEROUC SROSSCHECK INTO THE BOARDS FROM BEHIND d sTEP WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HIM HIM. gREEN COULD HAVE EASILY HURT sTEPAN AND NO ONE CARES ABOUT THAT.
nO sUSPENSION!
Pingback: Shutout Number Nine: Caps Embarrassed at Home, 6-0
Craig

Caps lock makes your point more valid Caphoky. Especially when you hit shift and randomly make thing lowercase.
Oliethegoalie

Both hits by Stepan and Green were dirty, but Green laid out the first dirty hit. All I’m saying is, if you push someone from behind like that, and get away with it, expect retaliation. Either both should be suspended or nothing should happen at all. Whatever happens, it’s not going to benefit the Caps in any way. Caps would’ve lost with Green in the entire game tonight
http://www.irockthered.net/ irockthered

I was surprised the Green hit wasn’t called in the first place, but the elbowing retaliation is equally uncool. I can’t say fr sure whether having Green in the lineup would have helped, but I don’t think it would have hurt. The Caps historically have problems when they lose a defenseman in the middle of a game, and they lost Green awfully early…
Jimmy

oh please, mike green sending Stepan into the boards head first and almost breaking his neck has not come up once in this thread? get your heads out of your rear-ends and face the facts that Stepan would have never hit Green if Green wasent a dirty player in the first place. HE GOT WHAT HE DESERVED! NO SUSPENSION!
http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com Ian Oland

Is it just me, or is Caphoky’s comment a bit disconcerting?
The Judge

The league is trying to get rid off hits to the head, and this was a hit to the head without a doubt. I’d say that a suspension would be the right call. But the crosscheck was also a dangerous play, worth at least a penalty. But still, the cheap hit with the elbow to the jaw was worse.
Fedor Fedin

When I saw it I thought it was a clean hit. But then on the slower replay I saw that Stepan didn’t put his shoulder on Green’s way. He put his HAND on MG’s way and that should be a penalty.
http://www.canyonofblueshirts.com Canyon of Blueshirts

For starters Green cross-checked Stepan head first into the boards. So Stepan wouldn’t even have marked his numbers had that not happened first. Too bad Green got hurt, you don’t want to see that, but he had it coming. It wasn’t a vicious hit by any means, but yeah Stepan did hit Green high. Should he be suspended though? No. The NHL hasn’t obeyed the letter of the law all season and it would be bullshit if they decide to start enforcing it now. The league put this situation upon itself.
Blueshirt Faithful

If the officials made the call on the Green crosscheck we wouldn’t be questioning whether Stepan should be suspended. Green got what he deserved. He’s a dirty player and it was nice to see someone give him a dose of his own medicine. No Suspension.
Fedor Fedin

CLEAN UP YOUR OWN HOUSE. Your team has Avery in the line-up. And who’s dirty? Green or Avery?
Pingback: DMV: Nats Are Just Like Us, Hate Philly | Mr. Irrelevant, a D.C. Sports Blog by the Brothers Mottram
Pingback: Hauswirth Departs, Wideman and Arnott Arrive on Trade Day