Didn't get to see the game sadly, but seen the awful hit on Pietroniro. 2-3 game ban for me.
Laughable how many experts from Belfast I've seen post on Twitter that there was nothing wrong with the hit and it was only bad because Chad turned last minute.
Irrelevant. It wasn't called as a Check From Behind and so whether or not he turned isn't part of the argument.
It was Boarding. For which the IIHF definition is:
41.1. BOARDING A boarding penalty shall be imposed on any Player who checks or pushes a defenseless opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to hit or impact the Boards violently or dangerously. The severity of the penalty, based upon the impact with the Boards, shall be at the discretion of the Referee. There is a considerable amount of judgment involved in the application of this rule by the Referees.
The duty is on the Player applying the check to ensure their opponent is not in a defenseless position and if so, they must avoid or minimize contact. However, in determining whether such contact could have been avoided, the circumstances of the check, including whether the opponent put themself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the check or whether the check was unavoidable can be considered. This balance must be considered by the Referees when applying this rule. Any unnecessary contact with a Player playing the puck on an obvious “icing” or “off-side” play which results in that Player hitting or impacting the Boards is “boarding” and must be penalized as such. In other instances where there is no contact with the Boards, it should be treated as “charging.”
I've bolded the key point above. It is Printz's responsibility to ensure that Chad is not in a vulnerable position.
The screenshot below shows that before Chad turns or before Printz starts the hit - Chad is already in a vulnerable position.
