I am not a hockey fan so I don’t have a dog in this fight, but just watching the video It looks like an intentional kick, not accidental, which would be manslaughter....................
Nah. Everyone does a high karate side kick all the time in ice hockey.
I played hockey for many years, so I looked at the video without knowing anything about the players involved.
I was prepared to be impartial, and on the first viewing, I was inclined to think it was one of those things that happened.
But when I viewed a second time, frame by frame...it looked filthy dirty to me.
Then I viewed it at .25 speed, and if definitely looked dirty.
The first time at full speed, I have seen a lot of guys get hip checked in the lower extremities causing the limb to fly like that. But in looking at it in slow motion, I saw no impact that would cause that.
It looked to me like he simply threw his leg into the air. Not sure if they could prove anything, but I sure didn’t see any good hit on him that would throw his leg into the air like that.
And looking at it one last time-he deliberately threw his leg up into the air to impede the progress of the now-dead player when it appeared he was going to cut over behind the accused, parallel to the blue line, and would have probably have been able to make a move on goal and get off a good shot or pass.
As I said, they might not be able to prove anything, but to a hockey player it seems evident to me it wasn’t a freak accident. It was a stupid intent to impede, and resulted in a person’s death.
Petgrave had, as the Brits say, form for this kind of conduct.
The victim’s loved ones could always fund a private prosecution.
Or sue the living hell out of the league and Petgrave.