Everyone in the NHL has a problem with the Flyers' Steve Downie.But let's face it: He's just a young kid trying to make a name for himself in a league where nothing else matters.
Downie's hit on Ottawa's Dean McAmmond was a clean one—and he still got suspended. Yes, Downie did leave his feet—but when you start playing hockey at the age of five or six, what's the first rule they teach you?
Don't skate with your head down or admire the pass you just made.
Don Cherry has been saying it for years: If you're caught with you head down, you'll pay the price. Given his concussion history, McAmmond should know better than to admire a pass.
Downie clocked him—and that should have been the end of it.
Every young kid tries to use the preseason to make a name for himself. But because of Downie's past, everyone was waiting for him to make a mistake.
If nothing else, Downie's play hearkens back to a time when hitting was an essential part of the game. Now, thanks to Americans running a Canadian game, physicality has been stifled.
You can't blame Steve Downie for that.
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