Exactly that was deliberate. He may not intended it to be fatal but to me, my opinion that kick appears initial.
I grew up playing hockey, started when I was 5. I have played in thousands of practices, hundreds and hundreds of games, and watched endless games - and that was a deliberate kick. No question. I think an angry player like that didn't think through the consequences of what he was doing, just wanted to kick the person, but what he did was beyond reckless. Any normal hockey player would not do what he did and they would know there is a huge risk of harm kicking someone with your skate, including that you could kill a guy if you got him in the throat when you kick up that high (the other guy was 6 foot). A skate blade is a blade. I don't see how it's any different than if you slashed a knife at someone as hard as you could. Did you mean to kill them? I mean, it was an entirely foreseeable possibility. Don't swing a knife at someone if you don't want to kill them. That was not a "freak accident", that was a foreseeable consequence of high kicking someone while wearing a blade on your foot.
As a Canadian, I've also played tons, and at a high level as a kid. I think you're right that the lifting of the leg was intentional, but I would argue that what followed was not.
If you watch the clip, you see that the guy is tracking the puck carrier (and eventual victim) from the player's right when he makes a hard cut towards him, hoping for a huge hit (tons of force when you do that at close to full speed). When his path is partly blocked by another skater (whom he doesn't appear to see, because he's so locked onto the puck carrier) he is slightly clipped and thrown off balance. Still wanting to make the heaviest possible contact with the puck carrier, he lifts his leg in an attempt to get as much of his mass as possible into the partly aborted hit. That his skate blade actually makes contact with the puck carrier's throat was clearly unintended, but it's nevertheless the result of this player's unbelievably reckless aggression. He just HAD to finish that check and was going to do it by any means necessary.
People who don't know the sport well may not be aware that there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of marginally talented players plying their trade in second and third tier pro leagues like this one in the UK. This caliber of player is often rewarded for very aggressive play, because it's thought to be entertaining to fans in places where these is no local hockey tradition (and minor league hockey can be extremely violent even in places, like here in Canada, wherein there are rich local traditions). What happened to this guy's victim is an unspeakable tragedy, but it's also very sad for the guy and his family. He made a grave miscalculation, but it stemmed from a style of play for which he was being rewarded, and on which his status as a "pro" quite likely depended.
I grew up playing hockey, started when I was 5. I have played in thousands of practices, hundreds and hundreds of games, and watched endless games - and that was a deliberate kick. No question. I think an angry player like that didn't think through the consequences of what he was doing, just wanted to kick the person, but what he did was beyond reckless. Any normal hockey player would not do what he did and they would know there is a huge risk of harm kicking someone with your skate, including that you could kill a guy if you got him in the throat when you kick up that high (the other guy was 6 foot). A skate blade is a blade. I don't see how it's any different than if you slashed a knife at someone as hard as you could. Did you mean to kill them? I mean, it was an entirely foreseeable possibility. Don't swing a knife at someone if you don't want to kill them. That was not a "freak accident", that was a foreseeable consequence of high kicking someone while wearing a blade on your foot.
As a Canadian, I've also played tons, and at a high level as a kid. I think you're right that the lifting of the leg was intentional, but I would argue that what followed was not.
If you watch the clip, you see that the guy is tracking the puck carrier (and eventual victim) from the player's right when he makes a hard cut towards him, hoping for a huge hit (tons of force when you do that at close to full speed). When his path is partly blocked by another skater (whom he doesn't appear to see, because he's so locked onto the puck carrier) he is slightly clipped and thrown off balance. Still wanting to make the heaviest possible contact with the puck carrier, he lifts his leg in an attempt to get as much of his mass as possible into the partly aborted hit. That his skate blade actually makes contact with the puck carrier's throat was clearly unintended, but it's nevertheless the result of this player's unbelievably reckless aggression. He just HAD to finish that check and was going to do it by any means necessary.
People who don't know the sport well may not be aware that there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of marginally talented players plying their trade in second and third tier pro leagues like this one in the UK. This caliber of player is often rewarded for very aggressive play, because it's thought to be entertaining to fans in places where these is no local hockey tradition (and minor league hockey can be extremely violent even in places, like here in Canada, wherein there are rich local traditions). What happened to this guy's victim is an unspeakable tragedy, but it's also very sad for the guy and his family. He made a grave miscalculation, but it stemmed from a style of play for which he was being rewarded, and on which his status as a "pro" quite likely depended.
As a Canadian, I've also played tons, and at a high level as a kid. I think you're right that the lifting of the leg was intentional, but I would argue that what followed was not.
If you watch the clip, you see that the guy is tracking the puck carrier (and eventual victim) from the player's right when he makes a hard cut towards him, hoping for a huge hit (tons of force when you do that at close to full speed). When his path is partly blocked by another skater (whom he doesn't appear to see, because he's so locked onto the puck carrier) he is slightly clipped and thrown off balance. Still wanting to make the heaviest possible contact with the puck carrier, he lifts his leg in an attempt to get as much of his mass as possible into the partly aborted hit. That his skate blade actually makes contact with the puck carrier's throat was clearly unintended, but it's nevertheless the result of this player's unbelievably reckless aggression. He just HAD to finish that check and was going to do it by any means necessary.
People who don't know the sport well may not be aware that there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of marginally talented players plying their trade in second and third tier pro leagues like this one in the UK. This caliber of player is often rewarded for very aggressive play, because it's thought to be entertaining to fans in places where these is no local hockey tradition (and minor league hockey can be extremely violent even in places, like here in Canada, wherein there are rich local traditions). What happened to this guy's victim is an unspeakable tragedy, but it's also very sad for the guy and his family. He made a grave miscalculation, but it stemmed from a style of play for which he was being rewarded, and on which his status as a "pro" quite likely depended.
A man has now been charged with manslaughter.
Makes sense. He's responsible for his actions regardless of his intention.
Help us build the best running shoe review site for a chance to win a LetsRun t-shirt.Help us build the best running shoe review site for a chance to win one of 10 LetsRun t-shirts.