Ranking the 10 Dirtiest Plays from the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs

We are midway through the second round of the NHL playoffs and already we have seen plenty of questionable calls, a few suspensions and several dirty hits.

Here is a look at the 10 dirtiest plays so far from the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs.They are ranked from 10th through first based on how far outside the rules they actually go.

Feel free to mention some dirty plays I may have missed. If you have a video clip of it, please link it so we can all judge your play for ourselves.

And please don't get me started on the quality of officiating. That is a different article entirely.

10. Joffrey Lupul and Tukkaa Rask Trade Blows

This one is not so terrible, but we have two players trading blows.

First, Joffrey Lupul comes crashing into the crease and collides directly with Tuukka Rask. Then Rask retaliates by punching Lupul with his blocker as he leaves the crease.

You can call a penalty on both players on this play or on neither. Either way, this is playoff intensity personified. Both sides trade blows and move on.

9. Scott Gomez Slashes Jannik Hansen on the Vancouver Bench

This one is clearly outside of the rules. Scott Gomez of the Sharks goes after Vancouver's Jannik Hansen.

There are only two problems with his move. First, Gomez uses his stick to slash the Canuck forward, and second, Hansen is sitting on the bench on this play.

8. Andrew Shaw Elbows Jakub Kindl

This is an interesting hit by Chicago's Andrew Shaw on Detroit's Jakub Kindl.

At first it seems Shaw pulls up and misses a potential hit on Kindl from behind that would have potentially been boarding or a hit from behind.

But as he hits the boards, Shaw swings around and lands and elbow on Kindl's head. He receives two minutes for elbowing, a well-deserved penalty under the circumstances.

7. Robyn Regehr on Ryan Reaves

Robyn Regehr of the Kings comes in full-speed and crashes into a defenseless Ryan Reaves of St. Louis on this play.

This was clearly a hit from behind as Regehr could clearly see Reaves' numbers as he crashed into him right near the boards.

He also left his feet on this play.

6. Andrew Ference Elbows Mikhail Grabovski

This one is pretty clear-cut.

Boston's Andrew Ference skates into the corner and delivers an elbow to the head of Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski.

5. Eric Fehr Elbows Derick Brassard

Washington's Eric Fehr received a 2:00 penalty for elbowing on this play.

He saw New York's Derick Brassard coming and raised to his elbow to brace for the potential contact. The referees clearly got his one right.

4. Raffi Torres Hits Jarret Stoll and Is Suspended

This is a tough one to place. The NHL suspended San Jose's Raffi Torres for the rest of the second round as a result of this hit.

The suspension was controversial. Did Torres lead with his elbow? No.

Was his stick high on the play? No.

Did he leave his skates to deliver the blow? No.

Was the head the first point of contact on the play? Even Brendan Shanahan said it was not. (h/t NHL.com)

Was Stoll looking down on the play? Absolutely.

To critics, Torres was essentially suspended by the league more for his reputation as a repeat offender than for his actions on this particular play.

In fact, had another player who was not a repeat offender, say, Patrick Marleau delivered the same exact hit, it is highly unlikely that he would have heard from Shanahan at all.

This was a tough call, but because Torres was suspended for up to six games, this play has to find a  place on this list.

3. Dion Phaneuf Delivers a Head Shot to Daniel Paille

To to tell if this is an elbow or a shoulder, but either way, Toronto's Dion Phaneuf delivered a blow to the head of Boston's Daniel Paille.

This hit took place in Game 2 of the the Bruins-Leafs series.

2. Justin Abdelkader Hits Toni Lydman

This play was pretty clear: Detroit's Justin Abdelkader left his skates on this play and launched himself at Anaheim's Toni Lydman.

Abdelkader skated a long way across the ice to deliver this hit and the blow landed on or near Lydman's head, so there are multiple problems with this particular hit.

1. Eric Gryba on Lars Eller

Ottawa's Eric Gryba was suspended for this hit, but again there was controversy here.

Montreal's Lars Eller was cutting towards the center of the ice to receive a pass when Gryba delivered a blow to Eller's head.

The Montreal forward had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher, and there was a lot of blood on the ice after Eller was carted off.

Sure, this was a "suicide pass," a puck that put Eller in a difficult position, but according to the NHL, Gryba needed to change the angle he took on this play.

Gryba was suspended for two games as a result of this hit.