I know everyone here really wants to stick up for Shawsie and I'll say upfront that if the goalie is out of the crease then he is fair game. But some of you are really taking this to the next level in regards to Smith's reaction to taking a shoulder to the head. While his reaction was VERY dramatic and may have been embellished, I know from playing that the last thing anyone is able to do in a split second WHILE being hit is consider "How can I ham this shit up?" This all happened very fast and a guy on ice skates getting spun around is not implausible. His initial reaction after hitting the ice could where he grabbed his face and writhed in pain could have been totally genuine. It fucking hurts to get punched in the face, now lets consider he got hit with a shoulder and more force than a punch and he was hunched over when it happened.
It isn't crazy to believe that he really got jacked in the face, had his head whipped back, his momentum carried him head over heels...and it freaked him out.
Now, why didn't Shaw choose discretion? He didn't think Smith was going to consume the whole fucking area behind the net, he's young, and he had every right to make contact with Smith. He also didn't think Smith was going to lean over like that. Shaw is a foot shorter than Smith, so if Mike hadn't bent over to shoot the puck, Andrew would not have been tall enough to make contact like that.
It would be total bullshit if Shawsie gets more than one game for this. Totally unfair if he gets one game, but understandable from Sham-a-ban at the same time.
Let's hope its nothing but a stern talking to and a 'don't do that shit again, kid."
