Welcome Back Taylor Fedun?

by Romulus' Apotheosis on Feb 14, 2012 10:00 AM MST

The Oiler's officially revealed the resurrection of Taylor Fedun today. The human interest-style story was accompanied by a video of Fedun skating with assistant medical trainer Chris Davie. I think every Oiler fan recalls with horror Fedun breaking the largest bone in his body. At the time of his injury, Fedun was on one hell of a ride through training camp and preseason - well out pacing his projections.

Notably the injury led to a great deal of discussion at the time. Fedun's youth, unlikely performance, the gruesome nature of the injury, the potential he may never play again and the questionable icing rules that led to the injury all became fodder for discussion.

We cannot know how Fedun's development may have progressed in the absence of his injury. Nor can we know, yet, if Fedun will get another shot at the show like he seemed to be on his way to getting at the outset of the season. Beyond Fedun, however, what I find interesting is the pressure laid to bare on the NHL by the media, players and fans in the wake of Fedun's injury. At the time there was wide spread speculation that the icing rules would be revisited if not completely restructured. So far that has not come to pass. It seems the pressure has evaporated.

As a thought experiment, ask yourself: what if Fedun's injury and Lucic's hit on Miller were swapped? The temporal proximity of events, media/fan reaction and GM meetings seem to naturally drive swift action by the NHL, whereas the temporal distance leads to ...?

For discussion:

1) How will Fedun's progress go? Is there a legit NHLer in there somewhere?

2) Is icing a legit problem in the NHL or is it just an isolated issue that crops up only on the back of its most recent victim (mostly from nanny-state types)?

3) The old adage "bad/hard cases make bad law" invites us to consider the way isolated events, media/fan reaction and policy interact.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this FanPost are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of the staff.

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I really hope he can regain form. He seems like a fighter and I think he’s got something left in him. It will probably be harder to muscle into a roster spot this year though and he might have to start the year in OKC and get a call-up after the inevitable slew of injuries/suspensions. I’d love to see him in a game with OKC in a couple months, but I’m pretty sure it’s a bad idea to even talk about that, given the seriousness of his injury and how long it’s taken just to skate again. He didn’t look terrible in the videos, but he’s clearly taking it slow which is kind of a relief. That being said I am strongly pushing for him to get a spot, he’s my favourite prospect.

by dessert1111 on Feb 14, 2012 8:40 AM MST reply actions

Which means that Derek hates him. :)

The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.

by Scott Reynolds on Feb 14, 2012 9:58 AM MST up reply actions

I don’t hate him! What I want to know is why dessert1111 hates MY favorite prospect?

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by Derek Zona on Feb 14, 2012 10:36 AM MST up reply actions

Harty is actually easily in my top 3 =)

by dessert1111 on Feb 14, 2012 1:14 PM MST up reply actions

So says the man who never lets an opportunity go by without sticking the knife into my favourite prospect, Cameron Abney. I know that you’re just being obtuse but sometimes the words you use are so mean and spiteful it even appears like you don’t think AbFab has a future in the NHL.

by Yeti# on Feb 14, 2012 5:36 PM MST up reply actions 4 recs

Is icing a legit problem in the NHL or is it just an isolated issue that crops up only on the back of its most recent victim (mostly from nanny-state types)

No, it’s a legit problem, though not the NHL’s most severe one. There have been enough past instances of touch icing leading to injuries that it should be reconsidered, the Souray-Iginla incident springing to mind immediately. It’s worth noting that outside of the North American pro leagues (and maybe some beer leagues), touch icing is not in use in any other league in the world. Not in junior or college, not in any of the European pro leagues (AFAIK), and not in any IIHF-sanctioned tournaments. I’d hardly call Don Cherry a nanny-state type and he’s for no-touch icing, so it’s not something that’s isolated to a small group of people.

by despisethesun on Feb 14, 2012 10:40 AM MST reply actions

2) Is icing a legit problem in the NHL or is it just an isolated issue that crops up only on the back of its most recent victim (mostly from nanny-state types)?

It’s a problem in that it’s a risk that doesn’t need to be part of the game. The entertainment value of a player beating out an icing call once every three or maybe four games isn’t worth the associated risk. I don’t find myself wishing that there was touch icing when I watch hockey at any other level, taking it out of the NHL game would have no negative implications.

Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact.
Writer for The Copper & Blue and a frequenter of the time waster that is Twitter.

by ryanbatty on Feb 14, 2012 10:48 AM MST reply actions 2 recs

I totally agree. Like you say, except for the rare “race” to beat icing (during which I’m usually more nervous for the players than excited…), I hardly ever even notice the difference between touch and no-touch icing. It just doesn’t add a lot to the game.

by emberly on Feb 14, 2012 11:50 AM MST up reply actions

I occasionally think, “aw, come on, Stripes, he was close enough,” but by and large, I tend not to miss touch icing when I’m at WHL games.

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by Doogie2K on Feb 14, 2012 1:16 PM MST up reply actions

No actual evidence to back this up but it seems to me that more borderline icing calls get waved off in the NHL as compared to the WHL. And I have pretty much the same reaction as you.

Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact.
Writer for The Copper & Blue and a frequenter of the time waster that is Twitter.

by ryanbatty on Feb 14, 2012 2:00 PM MST up reply actions

I would agree with that anecdotally as well. Perhaps a function of the fact that the NHL has touch icing to begin with? The linesmen are encouraged to be more rigid with no-touch?

by Doogie2K on Feb 14, 2012 3:58 PM MST up reply actions

That’s basically my sense of the situation as well.

I don’t believe the excitement claimed by “Touch Icing” is generated by the footrace in particular anyway. The excitement, for me, derives from situations in which an offensive player gains the zone that deep, unmolested and free to make plays, i.e., when the offensive player “clearly” beats the defence to the puck. It seems to me that “Hybrid Icing” could easily accommodate this.

In general, I wouldn’t mind seeing more discretion given to the linesman with an emphasis on keeping the play live. In many cases — for example, where the defence recovers control of the puck cleanly and has uncontested possession — it would be nice to see the whistle pocketed and avoid a play stoppage.

My sense for the value of the remaining arguments for Touch Icing is probably betrayed by the parody offered of them (nanny-state). I don’t foresee a loss in exciting play with Hybrid Icing, nor do I see such a change as pampering the players.

What I do find really curious though, is the way Fedun, like Foster before him, became a kind of cause celebre for a brief period. Of special interest was the role social media played — especially with Whitney, Hall and other players tweeting for a rule change. That is a powerful and new tool for exercising pressure on policy makers. But what the Fedun case also seems to show is that while social media can diffuse information and outrage with lightning like speed and intensity… it seems to also engender a sharp dissipation of interest followed by a memorial failure (despite the apparent permanence of the internet).

Do we have to wait for a femur to be broken on the eve of the next GM meeting to get this rule changed?

by Romulus' Apotheosis on Feb 14, 2012 2:17 PM MST up reply actions

Huh. I actually have the opposite perspective with icing. I wish the officials were more dogmatic in calling it such that it was almost never waved off.

The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.

by Scott Reynolds on Feb 14, 2012 3:27 PM MST up reply actions

hmm. could you throw an argument my way?

In general I prefer limiting anything that would stop play and potentially break the flow of the game. But (I think) this is the first time I’ve articulated that so my beliefs are hardly set in stone.

I guess the factors to consider would be:

1) how close was the offensive player to the line when he iced the puck? and should some leeway be given for marginal cases?

2) how much pressure is put upon the defence in recovering and controlling the puck?

Cases studies to consider:

1) defending team under pressure in own end “Ices” puck to relieve pressure

2) offensive team presses, carrying the play into opposing team’s defensive end, but fails to gain centre ice.

3) offensive team dumps the puck in to make a change but fails to gain centre ice, in effect turning over the puck without applying real pressure.

In both cases 1 and 2 I think calling Icing makes sense. In 1 calling icing denies the defending team an easy out and in the case of 2 calling icing sets reasonable limits on offensive outbreaks. However, in the case of 3, where the defending team has clear possession of the puck and is under no pressure, it seems to stultifying to call icing. Allowing linesmen some leeway might open up the game a bit.

Is it clearer where I stand? Alternatively, what would be the benefits of a hardline approach to calling icing?

by Romulus' Apotheosis on Feb 14, 2012 3:47 PM MST up reply actions

My answers would be:

1) a) It doesn’t matter. b) No. Never.
2) I don’t care.

I think it makes it clearer for the players if they know that icing will be called when they send the puck down the ice before gaining the red line. It also largely removes the potential for bias from officials. In addition, I think that allowing dump-ins when there is little pressure would result in teams icing the puck a whole lot more as a defensive tactic, especially when they’re ahead. By forcing players to gain the red line before dumping the puck, you force them to make a (more) skillful play, which is advantageous for a trailing team who is relying on the opposition to make mistakes. If icing was called with the same stringency as offside, I think it would be a real plus overall.

The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.

by Scott Reynolds on Feb 14, 2012 4:09 PM MST up reply actions

I think you’ve got a strong arguments there for consistency and for ruling out bias and confusion.

But a dump in when there is little pressure equals either a failed pass up the ice or a lazy un-pressured clearing to enable a line change. In either case, the major effect is a turnover of possession resulting in an unhindered counter attack (I stipulated that if pressured, it should be called). To stop the play at that point seems to trade the penalty of clear possession for the penalty of ground gained (I’m not sure which is more valuable… any thoughts?), but with the cost or benefit (depending on POV) of a stoppage of play and a resetting of the teams in position.

It’s still not clear to me that a stoppage of play is warranted in that case. But the more I think about it… this is probably too complex for real-time hockey and a consistent hand calling the game is probably preferable. I’ll have to think about it some more.

by Romulus' Apotheosis on Feb 14, 2012 4:35 PM MST up reply actions

Is there a legit NHLer in there somewhere?

I really hope so. So far in Rebuild II the Oilers have managed to add a number of players named Ryan which is a great starting point for an organization looking to be successful. Unfortunately the is still a lack of engineering skills on this team and that’s where Fedun fits in so nicely. I am absolutely pulling for him.

Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact.
Writer for The Copper & Blue and a frequenter of the time waster that is Twitter.

by ryanbatty on Feb 14, 2012 11:00 AM MST reply actions

So what you’re saying is there is a decided lack of Taylor’s on the current team and every effort should be made to streamline Fedun and Chorney’s development? :)

by Romulus' Apotheosis on Feb 14, 2012 11:05 AM MST up reply actions

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