For a couple of years now the NHL has been all about protecting players and trying to remove hits to the head from the game which is a worthy endeavor as it's a dangerous aspect of the game. They have increased fines, suspensions and Colin Campbell spends more time in player meetings that he does at home it would seem. I do not have any dispute with the NHL cracking down on head shots, it's dangerous and can cause serious harm, but what I do have an issue with is the inconsistency of the NHL's punishments from incident to incident. This week Mike Brown of the Toronto Maple Leafs was suspended three games for his hit on Ed Jovanovski in a game in Phoenix. There was contact to the head, but the contact was not intentional, as Brown was following through on a hit and Jovanovski put himself in a vulnerable position. These are situations that I can understand must be difficult for the NHL to asses, as it's a fast game and from watching the game live and seeing highlights, if Jovanovski had not have reached for the puck (bent over) as he did, there would have been no contact to the head, just a standard shoulder to shoulder check; there was no penalty on the play You review this suspension and then you look at recent incidents in the NHL that have lead to injuries that have gone without any NHL involvement, be it suspension or fines. Most recently you look at the Winter Classic, the great idea of the NHL, where Sidney Crosby was blindsided without the puck and the play up ice, which has now lead to a concussion and Crosby to miss the last 5 games. There was no penalty on the play and no suspension or fine. I guess the NHL didn't want to draw negative attention to their spectacular idea. Another example would be last year when Marc Savard was hit by Matt Cooke which put Savard out from the middle of last season until this past November, again, no penalty or suspension. A week ago Friday, Ben Eager of the Atlanta Thrashers sucker punched Colby Armstrong of the Toronto Maple Leafs, not a clean play, but he was given six games!!! Six!!! The NHL is handing out suspensions and fines like a blind referee. It's often been a theory from minor hockey to professional that when a blatant call is missed during a game, that at some point after that in the game a really bad call will be made to put the referee's mind at ease that he has even up the game. It appears that Colin Campbell and his disciplinary committee do the same when it comes to handing down fines or suspensions. He misses one such as the Crosby hit so he feels he needs to come down hard on a play like Ben Eager, or Mike Brown when they certainly don't warrant such punishment. If the NHL wants to keep head shots out of the game, which in my opinion you'll never fully get rid of them, the game is too fast, players react at the last seconds putting themselves in harms way *Cough Jovanovski Cough*, then you have to take the first steps and have a more consistent manner of punishments. I understand there are reoccurring offenders and punishments are harsher for them as they would be for a first time offender, but be more consistent. Swallow your pride and call a guy down for a meeting at Principal Campbell's Office even if it's a week after the hit. Take your time review the play, determine if it needs a suspension. The NHL is reacting to rash with some of these decisions and it's creating a credibility issue in the eyes of the public and I'm sure in the eyes of teams, management and players.
Dear Colin Campbell,
How about you spend less time being a hockey dad and protecting your baby boy (who is a pro hockey player and should be subject to discipline as well) and focus on your job and doing it right. You are an advocate for cleaning up head shots and being diligent in player accountability, but when you let the best player in the league take a cheap shot and you don't hold the player who hit him accountable, you are just continuing your inconsistent ways. Use some common sense you tit mouse!
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