Alex Ovechkin, Zbynek Michalek both face the Shanahammer on Monday for dangerous hits

If Ovie doesn't get suspended then the NHL and their supposed enforcement is a complete joke. How many times does he have to leave his skates when hitting someone to finally get punished?

And there is no "appeared to have left his feet". He either did or didn't and unless your name is Helen Keller it's obvious his skates left the ice. No gray area here.

Its funny i remember everyone on here saying what happen to Crosby was because of Cooke's style of play. All I can say is Z#$%$ was caused by Ovie's reckless play? Z was totally after someone when Ovie#$%$ didnt get called.

I see the Michalek hit as an obvious penalty but not a suspension. At least not with the way they have been suspending players this year. They say they have zero tolerance, but that's not really the case. I think it is pretty clear the Michalek hit wasn't really intentional. He is bracing himself as he is going in for a hit and Hendricks is really low. Really, really low. He should still be penalized, as he was. But suspended? I don't know.

hey, ovi has to make up for his lack of production this season SOME kind of way. these two to five game suspensions by shanahan are outrageous! so what if guys like crosby, malkin, st.louis, staal, weber, van riemsdyk, giroux, miller, pronger, richards, letang, briere, or toews are sidelined for a week, month, or even a season here and there? most of those guys play that boring "skill" brand of hockey anyway. seriously, just how much can guys like that really affect who wins the cup...? i say let the players whose names we'll forget next week keep doing what keeps them employed. their hits are fun to watch, and a little concussion now and then never hurt no one. quit being wusses and just suck it up like jeremy roenick, who suffered numerous concussions and still played for 18 years! ok, so he admits his regular pauses during broadcasts are due to chronic memory loss... whatever! ;)

I don't understand the negative comments on Zetterberg. I watched that incident from several angles on the replays and Zetterberg was hardly touching him, actually doing everything he could to avoid hitting him in a vulnerable position. Zetterberg is most certainly not a dirty player.

How much respect do these guys have for their fellow players when they leave their feet to smash another guy's head into the glass? Hockey isn't golf, but it isn't assault with intent to injure either. Both OV and Michalek deserve the suspensions.

The issue here. Ovie has a history and his suspension has to be longer than his last one. I believe he got 3 games for his slew foot suspension and should get 5 or 6 for this repeat offense. This is very similar to the hit Engeland had a while back for the Pens. He left his feet for a high hit and was suspended for 3 games. Ovie is a repeat offender and should get 5 - 6 games.

Ovechkin has been suspended before and he continues to do things that are could hurt other players outside the context of clean hockey. Multiple knee to knee hits, spearing Chris Neal, repeatedly charging other players, and the Brian Campbell hit just to name a few. He's reckless in a league that is focusing heavily on the health of it's players. He should be suspended this time. Two to three games is probably about right.

We have people foaming at the mouth when Matt Cooke keeps repeating poor hockey play, but Ovechkin seems to get a low key pass on his behavior. Dangerous hockey is dangerous hockey. It's time to stop it.

seen lot worse hits before remember Chara Boston bruins defense men against Montreal that my friends was intent to hurt.seen the video Manny times people disagree must be a bruin fan. amen.

If Hendricks can stay on his skates, that forearm goes to his back and not his head. I'm not saying he intentionally fell down to take a hit to the head, but there's got to come a point where the NHL recognizes that players who are turning their back to the play and putting themselves in vulnerable positions on purpose when there's an oncoming check are basically setting up a full-speed forechecker to take a penalty, depending on the acting abilities of the victim.

On 24/7 a ref told ovi he left his feet. Didn't penalize him, just informed him. That's why he does it so often, with little to no consiquence.

How does Zetterberg get a 5 min misconduct when the player loses and edge and falls, and yet Michalek gets a 2 min boarding call for running his elbow into another players neck?? The speed of the game is too fast for the refs.
As for Ovie, IMO his hit was not as bad, but he did leave his feet?
I say throw'em all out, starting with the refs.

Stephen Whyno is living up to his name. He lists Michalek as "appearing to be slipping" as a mitigating factor? Chug some more rose stephen, it's already colored your glasses.

This article is completely incorrect. The neanderthal is no longer a star, he is a semi-star. The league continues to promote him as a star, but that will change as his game is no longer even close to that of Crosby's & Malkin 's. He is the new Kovalchuk.

Give him a 15 game suspension to make up for all of the cheap shots he has gotten away with in the past as well.

Dear everyone: "principal" is not another word for "initial". Ovechkin hitting Michalek's shoulder first need not at all mean that Ovi didn't mainly hit Zbynek in the head. kthxbye

Does anyone think Z#$%$ was a result of the no call against Ovie? I watched the game an he seemed like he did it to prove a point. If Ovie can hit and continue to play reckless with no consequences why cant everyone else. Until the league begins to punish all individuals equal this will continue.

I am confused here. I see this play a lot with the only difference being that Hendricks is hunched over really low. Does he not have some responsibility for putting himself in that vulnerable of a position? If he was standing up more normally, that arm goes into his back and not his neck. Penalty, yea, suspension, no way.

Go to Youtube and watch any of Ovechkin's "Greatest Hits" videos. He consistently leaves his feet, and targets players who are fighting off a check or being screened from the oncoming hit. He has been throwing high hits off his skates and knee-to-knee hits since he came into the league. He doesn't fight (once?), and has been suspended and fined for this stuff before.

Michalek will probably get supplemental discipline, I suppose Ovechkin will, too. But Michalek's only mistake is that he didn't target Ovechkin.

OK good. You're back on track, talking about hockey

For Ovi at this point leaving his feet is a bad habit, nothing more. If you watch the HBO coverage of the lead up to the Winter Classic with the Pens, you can actively witness an official reminding him to NOT leave his feet - at which point he is 'aware' and can be seen making the effort to not do so. Ovechkin has needed a Senior mentor for 6 years. No one NHL alum has stepped forward to work on his form, fixing his bad habits, bringing down his weight and working on his aerobic strength. The fault is clearly with the officials -- if reminding him to NOT leave his feet isn't working, then you have to call the penalty. I blame his coaches, the officials, and the lack of a true leader for him and the other Capitals players. Crosby was polished and preened and primed for perfection -- Ovechkin was left to natural ability to fend for himself without a mentor. He's 25 years old. Give him a personal trainer and a mentor and you will probably never see him leave his feet in a hit again.