Just three factoids for today:
1. Matt Cooke was NOT suspended for his March 7 massacre on ice, perpetrated against Marc Savard.
2. Alex Ovechkin has been put out to pasture for two games, for the March 14 boarding of Brian Campbell.
3. And, last night, James Wisniewski was suspended for eight games, in exchange for his run on Glen Seabrook (a former teammate and friend). Seabrook did not have the puck, got smashed into the boards and came up with stars circling his helmet. But, he is practicing again. Wisniewski will also forfeit more than $250,000 in salary, 10% of what he earns in a year, to be donated to the NHL Players Association. The NHLPA socks away money to help players who are disabled.
Does anyone see a trend here? Is the league trying to play catchup from the March 7th felony-on-ice? If you look at all of these plays, the Cooke hit stands out with an intent to attack Savard's head. And Savard's season is OVER. Even so, Cooke is skating around free as a bird. Last night, he was able to fight Joe Thornton in Boston.
James Wisniewski had it coming. Any player who runs someone into the boards - or who decks another player who is not playing the puck - better fear the big bad wolf. Colin Campbell is meting out suspensions and it is high time.
Or as Paul Kariya just stated, this policy is "years and years" overdue. That's the same Kariya who has just scored his 400th NHL goal. The same guy who was leveled by Gary Suter in 1998 (concussion #1) and then wiped out by Scott Stevens in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals. On that second occasion, Kariya got even, returning to the game after 11 minutes to score a goal. But the Ducks lost to the Devils that year.
And guess what? Kariya will be in New Jersey on Saturday night, as the St. Louis Blues visit town. Stevens is an assistant coach on the Devils bench nowadays. That's lucky for him, because as far as I am aware, the NHL cannot suspend coaches for on-ice hits.
Hockey Rules.
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