This has got way out of hand. One can argue it all stems from last years SCF, where Boston was allowed to do basically anything they wanted. Marchands repeatedly pounding Sedin as the best example. Or maybe we can go back to Chara on Pacioretty... but when they really blew it was when Shanahan handed out a fine to Weber. After that, no suspension makes sense at all. Hagelin's three games is Ok when you look at it as a separate incident. But compared to Weber's fine it makes no sense. NHL/Shanahan has to just publically announce that they had messed it up and from now on they will hand out more severe suspensions, not comparing any new incident with the previous suspensions they have handed out.
But as the won't do that I have decided to take matter in my own hands and apply for Brendan's job for next season.
In my rulebook I will state the intent is what matters. Injury may, or may not, increase the suspensions. Things that happens as part of a play (basically a play gone wrong) will be treated as less severe than pure actions of revenge, or worse, taking-the-stars-out-of-the game-hits. I will also add that after trade deadling suspensions may not start until playoffs, so that you can't hit players and have a rest before the playoffs as "punishment" (Keith, anyone?). Agreed, I have to work a bit on that idea because it's pointless to postpone suspensions to any Leaf player until the playoffs.
I will use this seasons hits as examples on the suspensions that will be handed out:
(Note... unlike Shanahan it is not my full time job to look replays from ten different angles of every hit, and interview the players, so I might be wrong about some of the hits here... I have other things to do really)
I haven't seen Torres' or Backstrom's hits yet because quite frankly I got fed up with hockey after the Flyers-Penguins, and the constant replays of Burns, Carkner, Galliardi, Hagelin... the same day).
Regular season:
Bourque on Backstrom: 20 games (this was worse than Keith's actually)
Keith: 15 games
Lucic on Miller: 5 games
Weber: 10 games - what kind of mental problems must one have to do something like that?
Neal: 8 games - intent was way worse than Ashams imho
Asham: 7 games - ugly, ugly, ugly, but more heat of the moment than Neal's
Bitz: 4 games
Hagelin: 3 games - they got it right here! :-0
Shaw: 3 games - not sure if it was that bad, but just to keep people from running over goalies
Carkner: ? games... I haven't seen it from the right angles... I've seen him hit something, but couldn't tell if it was Boyle's head, Boyle's arm or the boards. Could be anything from 1 to 10.
Burns: 6 games
Have I forgot anyone?
In addition I will immediately give extra roughing penalties to anyone punching someone else in the way Marchand did to Sedin, or Boyle to Karlsson. No hits to the head! Period! Doesn't matter if it's not that hard... it's impossible for refs to try and decide how hard someone was hit, and eventually someone will hit too hard. Get rid of it!
Bret H department of player safety
Moderator: Referees