Andy Sutton Hit On Jordan Leopold (VIDEO)

The Pittsburgh Penguins evened their playoff series against the Ottawa Senators at one win apiece Friday night with a 2-1 victory. While the most memorable highlight may be Kris Letang's late goal to put the Penguins on top, the first period saw an absolutely massive hit. Ottawa defenseman Andy Sutton crushed Penguins defenseman Jordan Leopold, who appeared to be out cold instantly and did not return to the game. Scroll down to watch the hit. No penalty was called -- should one have been?

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Should Andy Sutton have been penalized for this hit?

Yes, it was brutal and unnecessary.

No, looks clean to me.

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Comments

[sharpstick]

11:59 AM on 04/20/2010

Elbow to the head. Way too high.

End of story.

[wolfmason]

12:37 PM on 04/20/2010

Not to mention the dude was off his feet at contact, another no-no. It was a pretty bad hit not to call, but I thought the refs went pretty easy on the Pens for the rest of the night after that, and deservedly so after that.

[Charlie Vanek]

12:07 AM on 04/20/2010

No wonder no one watches this league. Bunch of goons beating on each other.

[steeev3]

01:19 AM on 04/20/2010

Aww, Chawie doesn't like physical contact. These guys play harder than any other professional athletes - for less.

This hit is borderline but Leopold shouldn't have been looking at his skates.

[doitdoit]

05:08 PM on 04/20/2010

+1 steeev3. This is a sport and a full contact one at that. If your not interested Charlie, do not watch and do not comment. Leave the trash outside......

[Callyson]

09:46 PM on 04/19/2010

The best revenge is winning...GO PENS!

[ObliqueReference]

05:13 PM on 04/19/2010

My uncle played golf with big Andy Sutton back when he played for Atlanta. Super, super nice guy and he doesn't have a history of this sort of thing. Elbow to head was mostly due to Leopold having his head down and the height difference. Obviously the league thought so too as he didnt get any suspension. Guys are just gonna get knocked out from time to time at that level (with 250+lb guys going 30+mph). That's part of why they get paid so much.

[Imichael]

09:08 PM on 04/19/2010

Its going to be so cool when someone busts him upside his head with a stick. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

[Stew118]

03:40 PM on 04/19/2010

keep your head on a swivel bruh

[InnocentBystander]

03:10 PM on 04/19/2010

Gotta keeps your head up and have situational awareness in this game. brutal, but perfectly clean hit. This ain't golf out there..

[tobereal]

06:20 AM on 04/19/2010

Non-player, but lifelong fan for you more expert in playing:

If there wasn't such a height difference--and/or if Leopold didn't have his head down--might the physical contact not have involved Sutton's elbow and Leopold's head, making it less severe and jarring to Leopold? My point being that strength and weight of Sutton aside, the impossible to calculate on the fly height of head to elbow issue came into play in how badly it turned out for Leopold and that obviously Sutton couldn't control that factor. An unfortunate outcome, but no wrongdoing by Sutton, being affected as a result? Curious on the physics.

[whistlertony]

01:22 AM on 04/19/2010

When Leopold skates head down, full speed, and unaware - it's his problem - pure and simple. The refs got it right.

[Patriot68]

11:56 PM on 04/18/2010

Wow talk about getting leveled. OUCH!

Guess he should stop watching the puck and keep his head up next time.

[The Iron Cage]

11:51 PM on 04/18/2010

Two points:

First, the hit was obviously rough, which is part of the game. Sutton's elbow was tucked close to his body, but it was also high. It seems to me like he got a bit of a running start, too. If it was my call, he would've gotten two minutes for elbowing. It also looked like Leopold maybe hit his head on the ice, which could make the hit's impact appear larger.

Second, when HP has anything about hockey, why is it always about a big and/or dirty hit? It's playoff time. The games now are as good as you're ever gonna see. It's the only sport where the quality of play goes up noticeably in the playoffs. It's a beautiful game that requires more talent than any other sport, and I really wish that it didn't get such an unfair rap in the U.S. through "stories" like this one.

[up420oz]

11:12 PM on 04/18/2010

AMAZING!!! Americans that live on violence as a way of life think hockey is too violent.

How about that walking around Starbucks with loaded guns, aint that too violent?

& now I hear that an armed mob will be protesting your president?


WTF!!!!!

[nationalhealth]

06:42 PM on 04/18/2010

as a former hockey player, all i can say is it's a tough game, keep your head up.

[mimo70]

09:53 PM on 04/18/2010

Keep your head up is clearly not working. How about Sutton holds up and just checks the man and tries to take the puck instead of trying to take his head off.

This is a head shot - plain and simple. Yes, he's taller, but he strikes the side of the Penguins' player's head at an alarming speed. This is vicious and ugly and has no place in the game. The NHL has to come down hard on head shots. They have a rule for careless use of the stick. How about careless use of a shoulder or elbow. This should result in an automatic ejection.

[up420oz]

11:07 PM on 04/18/2010

waaa.
go play puzzy baseball, football, or maybe cricket is more to your speed.

keep your head up and dont run into brick walls

[brigitsmom]

05:28 PM on 04/18/2010

forgot to add my link about the Leopold update

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_677069.html

[brigitsmom]

05:27 PM on 04/18/2010

Well, Jordan Leopold is still in Pittsburgh being treated, and the rest of the team is in Ottowa.

I thought that head shots that result in injuries were going to be reviewed?

Oh, and all you people who don't watch hockey, gimmie a break. If you don't watch it, you can't comment.

[day678]

03:22 PM on 04/18/2010

In my opinion, any shot to the head should be penalized. It's unnecessary and can have dire consequences. I do realize that it's the nature of the game, but, common sense doesn't require one to do that in order to win.

[mimo70]

09:53 PM on 04/18/2010

Amen to that!