Two nights ago, I was perusing my Twitter account reading over the updates from various writers. From TSN analysts and experts, to the various few blogs and independent writers I follow, there were a hodgepodge of quotes, links and other “alerts” filing up the page.
Then one in particular caught my eye: “watched the highlights of our game. my hit on Bartulis was without a doubt late, but i had absolutely no intention of injuring him.”
That was from Phoenix Coyotes’ forward, and former Philadelphia Flyer, Scottie Upshall.
A few minutes later, he added a follow up: “I hope his MRI tomorrow is a positive one...”
I hadn’t seen the hit before reading the Tweets but what I had envisioned and what actually happened were astoundingly different.
I anticipated a Matt Cooke on Fedor Tyutin check from behind resulting in an uproar that would undoubtedly reignite the “Players have no respect for one another” debate that raged on two weeks ago following the actions of Cooke and another player, Devils’ Anton Volchenkov.
Instead, what I saw was much different.
Early in the 2nd period of the Tuesday night game, Upshall went hard to the net following up the initial shot which Bobrovsky appeared to fumble just a little before corralling under his glove. Oskars Bartulis stopped just ahead of the goal line and before the puck was completely covered, and before the whistle sounded, Upshall leveled Bartulis with a shoulder to shoulder check.
Bartulis, unfortunately, was airborne for long enough that he had no time to brace for the impact with the boards behind the net, and Upshall was quickly engulfed in a swarm of orange and black jerseys.
While Bartulis was being attended to, Upshall was given a two minute minor for Boarding.
[For the record: I absolutely HATE the title of the video]
The Coyotes would eventually prevail in overtime off a Shane Doan power play goal.
Upshall would post his tweets much later that evening and it wouldn’t be until the next day that it was learned Bartulis would be out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury suffered from the aftermath of the hit.
Upshall’s fate would not be determined until midday on Wednesday, but it was almost as if you could tell he all but sealed it with his initial Twitter message.
The hit seemed borderline at worst, regardless of Upshall’s own admission of wrong doing. He was playing aggressively, anticipating a rebound in a 1-0 game in which is team was losing. The competitive nature alone of two playoff-bound teams would be enough to get even a fan’s adrenaline going. The intent was probably that of trying to fire his team up and help set the tone for a better period. Upshall unloaded a clean hit in which his shoulder connected with that of the unsuspecting Bartulis.
That same admission of guilt but Upshall, however, is more than likely what condemned him.
Yes, Flyers fans fairly wanted more games as their player is out for the season while his ‘assailant’ gets a two game slap on the wrist. But the fact of the matter is Bartulis was too far from the boards for it to be considered a legitimate boarding call, and there is almost no way you can argue the intent of the hit was to bring injury upon him.
Whether you agree with the suspension or not, I personally do not, you have to at least respect the actions of Upshall following the game.
Knowing full well that the League watches over the athletes’ correspondences through the various social media outlets in order to ensure everyone is living up to the standards of being a professional, Upshall still put himself at the mercy of his superiors by admitting wrongdoing in the play (“my play was without a doubt late”).
He also made it a point to sway the critics by outright saying “I absolutely had no intention of injuring him.” I think this point was noticed by everyone on the ice, as even though the Flyers’ players surrounded him, nothing came of the incident later in the game. Upshall was not targeted by Flyers’ enforcers, nor were any of his teammates, and the game played out like a normal one between two teams sending a mutual message for a potential encounter in a few weeks.
Either way, just or not, Upshall made a classy move with his Tweets following the game. He fell on the grenade of his own doing and is now sitting two games for it. In a time where “players do not respect one another” [That’s twice I’ve quoted Mike Milbury], it is evident that Upshall felt genuine remorse for his actions. It is the type of ownership that is the perfect quality for a role model, one who will play the game hard, own up to mistakes and still show care for his opponents.
To Scottie Upshall, you’ve earned at least one new fan in me.
To Oskars Bartulis, may you have a swift and speedy recovery.
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