TSN's Bob McKenzie is reporting that Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta will face a disciplinary hearing with NHL head disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan over a check to the back of Rangers forward Brad Richards.
Richards' head slammed into the boards and he laid on the ice for several minutes following the hit. Kaleta was given a game misconduct. During the five minute penalty, the Rangers scored both of their regulation goals in the Sabres' 3-2 shootout loss.
No word yet whether the hearing with be over the phone or in person. An in-person hearing could result in a suspension of more than six games.
Richards should get an Oscar! The hit wasn't any worse than Gerby got later in the game.
03/04/2013 6:37AM
Trade him
Tired of seeing this guy in a Sabres uniform. Trade him out west so we don't see him anymore. Find someone with skill and not just running into people. Pull the plug on him.
03/04/2013 6:43AM
total dive
Barely tapped him with his sticks. Richards should win an Oscar for his performance after his dive.
03/04/2013 6:46AM
hit that Ennis took was worse
punishment that Kaleta got was fair....But hit that Ennis took was worse and recieved only a two minute penalty.
03/04/2013 6:51AM
Gone
I've been done with Kaleta. When all you can do is hit, pack it up. And when he's not serving a suspension, he's recovering from injury. Too much lost time with this guy. That hit was extremely uncalled for. But, I do disagree with the fact that suspensions are based on injury. Ennis got smoked in OT, and there was no 5 and a game for that. Unfair in that aspect.
03/04/2013 7:07AM
Hit
Suspension worthy hit, but some pretty bad acting on Richards part.
03/04/2013 7:34AM
Wow
He barely touched Richards. Ive been hit harder then that in non-contact bar league games.
03/04/2013 7:53AM
disipline
You win with it, lose without it. Kaleta should be one of the first guys to be moved ASAP if the Sabres want to clean up their roster. He hurts the team more than anything, 4th line at best but as everyone sees he lacks discipline. A gutless rat as players call him.....waive him.
03/04/2013 7:53AM
Really?
Ok, so he did push him from behind. There was no hit. Bording, yes. 2 min, yes, possibly a major since Richards played hurt. But both the hit on Flynn in the first, and on Ennis in OT were far more severe. I know Patty will get thrown out fir a coup0le, because of who he is and who he hit. Problem is that Shanahan picks and chooses his suspensions, and not all that deserve punishment get it.
03/04/2013 7:54AM
A dive.
That looks like a pretty blatant attempt to draw a penalty - his fault he got himself hurt on it. Kaleta's push shouldn't have been able to knock over a 3 year old!
03/04/2013 7:55AM
Sure, bad hit but what about Girardi?
Yes. That was a bad hit. he should be suspended for a couple of games. But seriously, you would have thought he was paralyzed from his reaction to the hit! He was back on the ice 2 minutes later during the power play.
The hit Girardi labeled Ennis with late in the game was no different. The only difference was Ennis manned up and got up to keep playing. Maybe the Sabres need to take a lesson from some of these soft players in the league and lay on the ice for 5 minutes when they get him to try and sell penalties?!
03/04/2013 7:55AM
No reason
i like kaleta but thier was no reason at all fo the hit.The rangers were already on a power play an richards had no special play so it was a useless hit.Its a loss for this team to lose him but thats the nhl and if he gets suspended its well deserved.
03/04/2013 8:12AM
nah
was a love tap, i think richards dove
03/04/2013 8:18AM
Shanahan hates Kaleta
guarantee Kaleta gets a suspension of course no suspension to brown when kaleta left the arena in a stretcher, or even last nites overtime when girardi hit ennis from behind
03/04/2013 8:22AM
Really?
A very light shove in the back and Richards does not have enough sense to protect himself after the hit.
03/04/2013 8:22AM
not so much
When I first viewed this, the angle from the Rangers end, it looked like Patty barely touched him. I thought Richards was diving. The opposite angle showed only a slightly more forceful push. It was barely a cross check in my opinion. We have certainly seen more vicious intentional plays like this. HOWEVER, an inadvertent stick between the legs resulting in that player falling onto the ice is still a trip; the penalty is about a player failig to exercise stick control. In this case, Kaleta, I feel, wasn't head-hunting, but he didn't exercise control.
03/04/2013 8:48AM
Eh
I think there is a dive there too, but if Charlie Coyle's hit on the Calgary player is not suspension neither is this.
03/04/2013 8:56AM
All I'm going to say
I agree with Tortorella. Kaleta is not a hockey player.
03/04/2013 9:02AM
Acting
There is no doubt that the play was stupid but I have seen this play before and guys not go down. It doesn't appear Kaleta hit him hard enough to force him to the ice, but the part that is really embarrassing is the thriving on the ice which followed the hit. Obviously the boards caused no damage to Richards (he never grabs his head or neck while on the ice) and after acting like his back was broken in two simply from the cross check, he is back on the ice in no time. Kaleta should get suspended for 1 game minimum, but Richards should get suspended for the horrific scene he laid out to everyone as if he was seriously injured. He may not have embellished the hit, but he definitely sold the major and game misconduct with his embellishment of his injuries.
03/04/2013 9:02AM
Up for a Tony Award
I'm not a fan of the hit, Pat needs to take him to the wall or let up on that. Although, he didn't give him much of a push, Richards put on a superb acting job getting one of our best penalty killers off the ice for the game. The Girardi hit was more of hit to the head as he drove Ennis' head into the boards with his forearm. But the league won't look at it at all. They can't clean up the game with this kind of inconsistency!!!
03/04/2013 9:05AM
embellished
How do you stay down for 5 minutes rolling around on the ice holding your wrist then go the the dressing room for 30 seconds and then are back out on the powerplay? He looked like a Euro soccer player after getting brushed on the leg. Kaleta's hitwas bad, but my god. Look at the hit Ennis took later in the game. That was pretty bad too where's the hearing for that? Ennis got hit stayed down for about 10 seconds was right back up in the play.
03/04/2013 9:09AM
embellished
He rolled around on the ice for 5 min then gets up and goes to the dressing room. 30 seconds later he's out on the Powerplay. Give me a break. He must have been hurt sooooo bad. How bout a hearing over the hit on Ennis? Or do you need to hit someone making $5 million a year or more to get Shana-ban's attention? These guys are looking less and less like hockey players and more like Euro soccer players.
03/04/2013 9:12AM
Useless bum...
Get this piece of garbage off this team. He is useless and an embarrassment to the Sabre organization. He should get ten games.
03/04/2013 9:17AM
What's that bird call? Cheap Cheap Cheap!
After watching Kaleta waste my time on Saturday by doing nothing the whole game except annoying Kovelchuk yesterday was simply the last straw. I sit near his parents at the games and wonder how proud they must be that their son is reduced to being a pest on the ice. I understand the need for that kind of player, but he can actually skate pretty fast and has been very effective in penalty kills over the years. But that is enough already, this isn't the first time that he has cheap-shotted someone and just because Richards didn't get hurt doesn't mean it was a good play. I, for one, never like Linsman, Kasperitis or Claude Lemieux (when he was playing hockey he was fine, when he was playing stupid that was different) or Rob Ray or Matthew Barnaby. If you have to resort to garbage hockey like Ted Nolan and Lindy Ruff, then don't be surprised when someone runs your precious goalie or star center because you are certainly asking for it. Of course, that is Canadian hockey so why should it shock me? The Europeans simply play the game without all the rubbish, perhaps we should try to emulate them more.
03/04/2013 9:20AM
Fair Treatment
This needs to be handled with a suspension to increase the awarness of hits to the back, and players need to understand that to prevent serious injury no matter how big or small the hit. If this happened to one of our players we'd want the same justice. The play looked ugly and surprised it wasn't serious.
03/04/2013 9:22AM
Oscar Winner!!!
Brad Richards was supposed to be near death and certainly dying based on his performance "lying" on the ice.
Imagine my surprise when he was magically healed and playing on the next shift. Not Since Eddie Murphys character in the movie Trading Places gets his legs back has such a miracle been seen!
03/04/2013 9:25AM
Kaeta's hit on Richards
Didn't see the game, heard about the hit. Expected to see the replay of a vicious slam into the boards. What I saw was an ill advised shove. A tough guy reputation (of Kaleta) will sway the NHL in dishing out a suspension.
03/04/2013 9:26AM
Kaleta
Ban him for good. Get a player that can hit clean, plus score some big goals to go with it. Not a douche that cost his team every time he does something stupid and can't score period. What a joke!
03/04/2013 9:33AM
Kaleata has been trying to not do this for the last 2 seasons
but he needs to sit for this. Don't think he meant to bang Richards like that, but it happened and the NHL needs to react, regardless of intent. Richards fell, which made it worse, but PAt has to be smarter.
03/04/2013 9:41AM
suspension?
If the league doesn't do it, the team should. Bad for the team and bad for hockey in general.
03/04/2013 9:49AM
C'mon
He barely touched him. The hit on Ennis was much worse. No mention of that though huh.
03/04/2013 10:06AM
On Second Thought
I respect Paul Hamilton's opinions on these things. I did not see the hit until now, and after listening to Paul this morning I thought it would be way worse than it was. It's barely a cross check and the embellishment by Richards is laughable. Nonetheless, he didnt need to touch him and will probably get 5 games
03/04/2013 10:14AM
Girardi Hit on Ennis
look at that hit, it is pretty much just as bad. Girardi went in much harder and more aggressive, the only difference is that Ennis got up.
03/04/2013 10:15AM
Brad Richards
looked really hurt when he hit the ice on the next shift. No hearing for Girardi of course, despite burying Ennis (who took 2 similar hits Saturday with no penalties).
03/04/2013 10:30AM
Homers on the radio....
Unreal at the callers on the radio saying that Richards dove. Yeah, he dove head first into the boards. Bunch of homers. If it happened to Pominville, everyone would be screaming murder.
03/04/2013 10:30AM
Not sure...
OK, the hit needs additional punishment, HOWEVER, I like how Richards is near death right after the hit, and is back on the ice for the power play... maybe if going to the dressing room for any type of possible concussion evaluation, medical clearance must be given for that "injured" player to return. That will slow down anyone else who tries to "act" the part...
03/04/2013 10:44AM
Richards
I love how quickly he returned to the line up
03/04/2013 10:48AM
Dirty bruin players never get suspended
Marchand, Chara, etc deserve much worse.
03/04/2013 11:05AM
suspension
Clearly he should get a small suspension but it wasnt even an actual "hit". He gave him a light crosscheck to the back which caused the rest to happen, still means he should get suspended but in all honesty the hit by Girardi in OT was way worse than what kaleta did. If ennis were to have sprawled on the ice for 10 minutes Girardi would have been kicked out too and would be facing the same hearing today. This league goes by the sound of the boards and the resulting injury just as much as the Euro leagues do.
03/04/2013 11:05AM
Kaleta Fan
BUT HE COULDA KILLED THE GUY
03/04/2013 11:20AM
best performance
award for best performance by a hockey player goes to brad richards! kaleta deserved the penalty. the push on richards didn't look that hard. it looked more like richards momentum that caused the hit to the boards. he acted like he needed a stretcher to get off the ice but yet he was able to finish the game. that's what i call a miracle on ice!
03/04/2013 11:22AM
Interesting....
I can't get over the official in the corner that was closest to and watched the play unfold. His arm never flinched. Really?
This league will never be taken seriously until it starts calling the rules it has in place and calls them consistently. At the beginning of every season it seems there is a directive for a raised level of awareness and calling of certain infractions. After a few games, it levels off and they start focusing on something different. All the rules are in the book for a reason. Call them all. Call them consistently. From game #1 until the final horn of the last game in the Stanley Cup Final. Don't pick and choose. Same with dishing out discipline. This has nothing to do with what team I may or may not cheer for, but a league that we all love and hope to see reach a higher level of popularity. Take the rule seriously, then maybe the rest of the sporting nation can take you seriously.
03/04/2013 11:37AM
How is Richards?
I can not vote on a suspension without knowing if Richards is out of the lineup. Was he hurt?
03/04/2013 11:48AM
Brad Richards' training video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioyt2zzm530
last 45 seconds is the best
03/04/2013 11:52AM
I thought awards season was over with
Richards looking for best actor on that one, Kaleta hardly hits him and he goes flying into the boards ACTING like he just got hit by a semi-truck when he got a light cross-check. Then, on the ice he is again ACTING like he is bleeding out internally and might perish within seconds. Then he gets up and , to the surprise of all in attendance, is able to make it to the bench NOT on a stetcher. Of course, it is nothing short of divine intervention from above and not his ACTING previously that makes it possible for him to be back out on the next shift playing like nothing had happened. I think Richards should be disciplined himself for contributing directly to the fans having zero confidence in the disciplinary system, not to mention that his ACTING got Kaleta booted from the game and 2 goals for the Rangers.
03/04/2013 11:55AM
great act
he got my vote for every movie award!!!
03/04/2013 12:07PM
Hit
The Kaleta hit was no worst than the hit on Tyler Ennis later in the game. Difference Tyler got up. richards was on the next shift
03/04/2013 1:06PM
dive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm not saying that Kaleta didn't deserve the penalty, however, as someone who has played hockey their entire life you don't get hit at your core center of balance and go down that easy if you are as skilled a player as Richards withoutselling yourself out for a broadway play.
03/04/2013 1:22PM
suspend him for life
Pat Kaleta is a joke. Thinks he's tough cause he hits people from behind. He can't score, nobody is scared or intimidated by him, he serves no purpose on this team and should be out of the NHL. This is like a broken record with him and he cost the sabres a win. He's a joke
03/04/2013 1:24PM
tried to end Richards career
i watched this video and never seen anything so barbaric! Kaleta should be thrown out of the league. Coward!
03/04/2013 1:44PM
Faker
He barely touched him!!! What a bogus call!!! What a fake job by Brad Richards - he should get an Oscar for that! I think they should suspend Richards too - embellishing making it look a lot worse than it was........
03/04/2013 2:29PM
CHEAP.......
CHEAP SHOT ARTIST WHO ALWAYS LOOKS FOR A FIGHT TO LOSE EVERY GAME. THIS SPORT IS A JOKE AND WILL NEVER BE A TOP NOTCH SPORT IN THIS COUNTRY.
03/04/2013 3:15PM
Awful !
I would rather Kaleta not even be on this team any longer.
03/04/2013 3:36PM
If that MUGGING happened to the Sabers...
John Rigas, Tom Golisano, Larry Quinn, Terry Pegula, Darcy Regeir, Lindy Ruff, James Patrick, and Byron Brown would have ALL written a strongly worded letter CRYING to the NHL offices about how "Rough" the play in the NHL is!!!! Curiously on a last place sorry team they happen to have THE BIGGEST CHEAPSHOT ARTIST in the NHL, who apparently does no wrong here! What a bunch of LOOSERS, on the ice and in the seats!!! FORE IS COMIN FAST!!!
03/04/2013 3:43PM
All CHEER The BUCKETHEAD...
Patrick Kaleta... THE BIGGEST CHEAPSHOT ARTIST in all of hockey. He's also THE BIGGEST JOKE of the NHL!!!! If Wallmart didn't give him a roster spot, he'd be working at Quick Lube!Only in hockey do criminals like this have opportunitiesto be free. Euphorians cheer Angola's goon. I hear he mugs people on the GOLF COURSE too!
03/04/2013 3:48PM
This is expected
Should we be surprized if Kaleta gets suspended? His role on the team is to be a goon/physical presence, pretty sure its not to score goals. Maybe the NHL should just ban these type of players from playing.
03/04/2013 4:19PM
Kaleta or Commardo....
Who's the bigger goon??? Interesting...
03/04/2013 4:38PM
You little a$$.
After hearing his comments about hitting Brad Richards, I am ashamed that this little brat went to St. Francis High School! What an insult to a great school. I suppose if Richards had been paralyzed as a result of this hit (an entirely possible event which has happened in similar circumstances in the past. Ron Dewald ring a bell?) then maybe he might have been a little more than letting his teammates down sorry? Tell you what bright boy, when YOU get levelled into the boards the next time -AND YOU WILL- I won't care one iota if you get seriously injured or not! You are as useless as Ken Linsman, Matthew Barnaby, Rob Ray and Darius Kasparitis! That ticking sound is your career coming to an end pal!
03/04/2013 5:43PM
Kalleta
Yes, he should get punished, Richards should also get points for a great dive. It does not appears to be more then a tap to the back
03/04/2013 7:05PM
Gil
Is it me or does it look like he barely put his stick on his lower back? Give him 1 gm for cross-checking near the boards.
03/04/2013 8:55PM
I Agree With Kaleta's Suspension
I have no problem with Kaleta getting a five-game suspension because of being a "repeat offender". However, how about the hit on Ennis later on in the game. That Ranger player hit Ennis almost the same way. Has it come down in the NHL to give a penalty if a player is lying on the ice hurt (Richards came back the next shift) or is it because Richards name is well-known while Ennis' name is not. The NHL needs to be fair and the Rangers' player should have not only been given a penalty on his hit on Ennis but also at least a one-game suspension.
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