Now that Colin Campbell has stepped aside, Bettman’s cousin gets to take the reigns as far as discipline goes from now, until Brendan Shanahan takes over at the start of next season. I wonder how warm and fuzzy Shanny feels this morning that Murphy went ahead and doled out a four game punishment to Vancouver’s Aaron Rome for knocking Boston’s Nathan Horton out of the playoffs?

While it would be nice if this 4 game ban was actually the start of some new standard, there’s no indication that Shanahan sees things the same way as Murphy does, or that he plans to pick up where Murphy leaves off. The general assumption (or hope?) is that Shanahan will rip up the book and start anew; beginning a slow and painstaking journey in restoring confidence in the NHL’s disciplinary process by bringing a fresh perspective and approach to how supplementary discipline is handed out. If that’s indeed the case, then Murphy just put Shanahan in a really unenviable spot; fans are perplexed with the Rome suspension – unless of course it’s a new benchmark for blows to the head, in which case I believe most fans will embrace this new standard. But in essence, he has forced Shanahan to follow suit next year by punishing players with at least four game suspensions (though many would argue that four games in the Cup Finals is worth at least twice as many in the regular season) for similar offenses. Anything less, and the usual “same old, same old” refrain will erupt once again. Whatever path Shanahan takes, he would be well served to behave in the opposite of the current guard. That is to say that he must be transparent and open with how he plans to deal with supplemental justice. And for goodness sake, he has to avoid consulting everyone under the sun before reaching a decision.

And what of the hit that has cost Rome the rest of the Cup finals? Opinion on the hit ranges from blaming the victim to villifying the offender. Personally I believe the hit was a tad late, but it was not blindside. The only way it could ever be defined as blindside is because Horton was admiring his pass and wasn’t looking at what was coming in front of him. It’s his responsibility to keep his head up. If Rome doesn’t hit Horton in that situation, he’s out of a job, plain and simple.

As I remarked a couple weeks back, the NHL’s department of hockey ops set the table for themselves as far as criteria goes a couple years ago when they suspended Alex Ovechkin for hitting Brian Campbell from behind. In his statement, Colin Campbell ended his statement with the following:

“If you cause a player to be injured, then you have to be responsible for the play that you’re involved in, if there’s any carelessness or recklessness in it.”

Still, I do agree with the league’s “stance” that if you hurt somebody by being reckless, you should be suspended. We can argue whether or not Rome was reckless in wiping out an opponent who had no idea what was about to happen. The fact is the league saw it that way, and so it’s a closed case. The trouble is that many, many other hits have adhered to these same criteria yet the offending player was not punished. Yeah, the Pacioretty hit is the poster child for the league’s hypocrisy in this instance, and that’s what has many fans, Habs fans in particular so angry and confused. Again.

Using Campbell’s statement above, Chara should have been suspended. He was certainly being reckless, and he obviously caused injury. Yet he skated away scot-free and even received a standing ovation upon his return home to Boston. The issue becomes even more confounding when you take Murphy’s comments on the Rome suspension. Murphy said that the result of the hit, and the lateness of the hit are what compelled Murphy to give Rome four games. How then, did that logic not apply to when Chara hit Pacioretty? Hypocrisy? Stupidity? Favoritism? Double standards? Different rules for stars? Whatever the reason was for not suspending Chara, it was wrong then, and that wrong has been amplified now.

By the same token, again, I have no problem with a suspension for a hit causing injury. It apparently is too much, however, to ask the league to be honest and consistent with their punishments. With vagaries like “we have our own formula at NHL hockey operations for determining late hits”, it’s no wonder that we fans have totally lost faith in the supplemental discipline process. Like any good chef, everyone knows that a formula can be tweaked on a whim, and the league has clearly been a mad scientist in the kitchen. They jerk around with the formula on a case to case basis so that the end result suits their taste. How else can we rationalize the haphazard, inconsistent and bizarre decisions the league has made over the years. Players are confused, and a decline in the quality of officiating indicates that the officials are also unsure of themselves.

The day after the hit that sidelined the Canadiens winger, the organization announced that Pacioretty had suffered a severe concussion and a fractured C4 vertebra in his neck. Bruins fans and media alike thought it was a conspiracy to get Chara suspended through embellishment of the extent of the injury. Yet in the same fashion, the Bruins organization was quick to divulge the severity of Horton’s concussion and that his season was over. They didn’t even wait until the next day; they let Horton’s status be known in the minutes following game 3. I wonder if Bruins fans figured it was another conspiracy to get Rome suspended? Naw, their team wouldn’t be that classless and devious…or whiny and weasly…would it? Of course not…just don’t listen to the trifecta of liars in Ference, Lucic and Coach Julien who want you to believe their words, but ignore their repeated actions.

A short time after being stanchioned, Pacioretty was released from hospital and resumed his recovery; opening a twitter account, and having the audacity of going to a movie theater were just two of the the things he did to fill his suddenly open schedule. Similarly, Horton was released from hospital the very next day after being crushed by Rome. Teammate Milan Lucic soon after admitted that Horton had been texting him. Tweeting. Texting. Tomayto, tomahto. I wonder if Bruins fans have embraced their own ”embellished injury” theory yet? Let’s see what happens if Horton is feeling well enough to be in attendance for game 4 in Boston. If he is, I’m guessing he’ll get on the jumbotron, and I’m guessing he’ll get an ovation. Movie theaters. Arenas filled with light and noise. Potayto, potahto. In short, these incidents are so strikingly similar, yet the hypocrisy spouting from Boston now that their guy has been felled is so thick you need a chainsaw to cut through it. If you’re a Bruins fan reading this, and your retort is “well at least we didn’t call 911″, then you have no leg to stand on.

I’m not here to say that the Bruins have embellished. Clearly Horton is hurt. The sight of his crumpled body on the ice is as sickening as seeing Pacioretty laying motionless. What I am drawing attention to is the manner in which the people in Boston reacted in the aftermath of the Pacioretty/Chara incident. Now that they find themselves in a similar situation, hopefully they now see things differently.

As Murphy addressed the media yesterday, he credited his buddy Colin Campbell on numerous occasions for teaching him everything he learned. The same Colin Campbell who was embroiled in an email scandal that revealed extreme bias and in which should have resulted in his immediate termination. The same Colin Campbell who went on TSN Radio earlier this year and confessed to not knowing the rules anymore. The same Colin Campbell with a conflict of interest. The same Colin Campbell that made a mockery of the league for over a decade. If that doesn’t say enough about Mike Murphy’s education, then I don’t know what does. Remember Mel Brooks’ role from Spaceballs? The supreme schmuck President Skroob? Towards the end of the movie as all hell is breaking loose, Skroob turns to one of his minions and says “Sandurz! Help me! I don’t know what to do! I can’t make decisions! I’m a President!” Somehow Spaceballs and the NHL seem to fit hand-in-hand these days. Surrounded by assholes. Major assholes.

While the hit was a shock to everyone, it’s important to use this incident as a spearhead for league-wide change, and not just an opportunity for Habs fans to get “justice for their guy”. While some justice would have been nice (considering Campbell’s quote after suspending Ovechkin last season), that no supplemental discipline was given to Chara may be a blessing in disguise. If he had received a game or three, there would still be a large amount of fans dissatisfied with the decision. Upon serving the meagre suspension, the refrain would have reverted to “he served his suspension, move along”.

Instead, the league has flung the door wide open to criticism on their insane views of what is tolerated as “part of the game” and what isn’t.

I’ve been very, very vocal about the whole situation on twitter, and it’s led to many “accusations” that I’m only this upset because it’s happened to a Canadiens player. While my anger is certainly intensified this time around (and to be fair, a broken neck and severe concussion is as horrific an injury as we’ve seen in the NHL since the Bertuzzi/Moore incident of several years ago. Marc Savard’s accumulated head traumas are certainly the most profound for any player since Moore) there’s no doubt that I’ve made my stance and opinion on the state of the NHL very clear. I may not have listed every incident, but you’ll get the point.

Below is a compilation of blog posts that I’ve written over the past couple years that prove (I hope) just how disgusted I am with the league and their ineptitude to properly deal with headshots.

• (March 9, 2011) http://www.cowhideandrubber.com/pacioretty-slams-own-head-in-glass
• (February 25, 2011) http://www.cowhideandrubber.com/look-what-youve-done-gary
• (February 8, 2011) http://www.cowhideandrubber.com/as-the-hamster-wheel-turns
• (March 18, 2010) http://www.cowhideandrubber.com/day-zero-for-colin-campbell
• (March 14, 2010) http://www.cowhideandrubber.com/campbell-gets-another-chance
• (March 10, 2010) http://www.cowhideandrubber.com/nhl-general-managers-finally-act-on-headshots
• (January 18, 2010) http://www.cowhideandrubber.com/the-monthly-hockey-headshot-debate-heats-up-again
• (November 5, 2009) http://www.nhldigest.com/was-branch-too-harsh-on-liambis/

I’m not sure how I’d qualify it, but the oldest blog entry on this list most closely mirrors the way I feel today about Pacioretty. This tells me that despite the introduction of rule 48 to NHL play, that the sport of hockey is still nowhere near getting to the root of this frightening problem.

As Canadiens fans prepare to protest at the Bell Center prior to the game on March 15th, I can only speak for myself when I say that I hope the focus of  the protest centers around the fact that the NHL now expects their players to take far too many risks and that they need to get serious about suspensions and safety. Hockey has always been a fast, dangerous sport. The lack of respect among players, and the flaccid, impotent rules (as well as the disciplinary office) only make it a more hazardous environment.

This whole debacle has been pathetic.

Pathetic is Chara’s insistence to keep hacking away at Pacioretty after the latter gave him a light bump in the back after scoring in overtime.

Pathetic was the sight of Max Pacioretty unconscious on the ice. With his parents in the stands.

Pathetic is Chara attempting to hide away on the team bus and not take responsibility for what he did.

Pathetic is Chara, after being dragged off the team bus then placing the blame on Pacioretty for leaning and jumping in to the glass.

Pathetic is the Bruins continued philosophy of goonery and excessive aggression.

Pathetic is the NHLPA for not realizing what’s at stake.

Pathetic is the NHL’s flaccid non-response to this flagrant dirty hit (and countless others), especially when the head disciplinarian contradicts himself.

Pathetic is the National media’s collective shrug and willingness to leave it as a “good hockey play gone bad” (save for Pierre McGuire and Cam Cole).

Pathetic is the National media’s stance that it’s “the building’s fault”.

Pathetic is the National media conveniently dismissing the history between the two players.

Pathetic are the Canadiens brass for not speaking up publicly for their players, and their fans. DONE!

Pathetic that the only way the NHL may listen is if million-dollar sponsors threaten to disassociate themselves from the league.

Pathetic that this has gone on for so long without a solution, that the law and/or government may now decide to intervene, and pathetic that fans around the league will act surprised and claim that there’s no place in hockey for “the law”.

In how many other ways is this incident pathetic?

• That Gary Bettman hates Canada with the burning rage of the dual Tatooine suns?
• That Gary Bettman is pulling strings – as I type this – to ensure that the Penguins, Capitals, Coyotes, and Red Wings, are all going to win the Cup this year?
• That Gary Bettman has Sidney Crosby pyjamas, a Sidney Crosby poster above his bed, and a picture of Sidney Crosby in a heart-shaped locket around his neck?

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, and as much of a lie telling doofus as Gary Bettman is, clearly much of the hate is off-the-wall. He’s brought it on himself, but sometimes we get a little ahead of ourselves.

But the League’s top executive, and his team of cronies (hi, Colin! hi, Bill!) has really done it this time. For years fans have been waiting for the NHL to do something about the growing number of head shots and concussions, to little or no avail. Many assumed that if Sidney Crosby were to ever go down with a head injury, the league’s head office inhabitants would turn themselves inside-out in order to implement some sort of rule to curb headshots. They can’t lose the poster-child, can they? Surely the NHL’s offices would collapse like Barad-Dur if the Golden Boy were to miss extended action, right?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lo, and behold that time is upon us.

As you know by now, Sidney Crosby was clobbered by David Steckel and Victor Hedman in consecutive games shortly after the calendar rolled over to 2011, and has yet to return to action. In fact, he has yet to resume light exercise. Whispers are now gaining steam, leading Globe and Mail columnist (and my favorite sports journalist / sports writer) Stephen Brunt to reveal on the Team 990′s airwaves that he has heard that Crosby may not be back at all this year.

Perfect. The NHL’s best player, the face of the league and the spearhead of many marketing efforts *may* miss the playoffs (and scuttle Bettman’s chances to further line the rafters at the Pens’ shiny new arena with Cup banners). Oops!

I’m not saying that any kind of legislation or rule would have protected the league’s top player, who was in the midst of one of the best seasons we’ve seen in a while, from injury. What I am saying is that now the discussion has just became a lot more complicated for Gary and his band of merry incompetents. Complicated, not because the solutions are difficult to pin down and implement (they are complex) but because he’s brought a mess to his doorstep that was entirely avoidable by merely taking their collective heads out of the sand. It’s better to do something than to do nothing. The blindside hit rule (rule 48) is a nice start, but it’s only that – a start. That the refs still can’t consistently enforce that rule points to the fact that the league really isn’t all that focused on making things better. The way the NHL has approached this issue, they’ve made it sound like curbing head shots is akin to achieving time travel. Maybe Emmett “Doc” Brown is available for consultation? My money is on the NHL cleverly ambushing him on October 21, 2015, since they’ll know exactly where he will be.

For argument’s sake, if they decide to crack down and institute real measures (rules, consequences, assessments, treatments) to get rid of head shots and lessen the severity of concussions, people that despise Crosby and Bettman (there are plenty in both camps) will say it was only done to protect the “Chosen One”. Bruins fans in particular may bristle at this after one of their stars, Marc Savard was decimated by Matt Cooke. If the boneheads continue to drag their heels (as well as their knuckles), they’ll be accused of not caring about the stars, the fans, the product, or the game. His continued reluctance to apply common sense in the face of a terrible rash of recent head injuries has now landed him squarely between a rock and a hard place. Maybe Gary can have a sit-down with a really brave guy who knows a thing or two about just that.

If I were Bettman, I’d rather suffer the consequences of being labeled as the former instead of the latter. He’s gone way beyond the point of getting credit for being “proactive” on the issue.

Your move, Gary.

What’s the big deal?

When you were a kid, your parents likely let you get away with a few things here and there which they told you not to do. Maybe curfew was 11pm (and not a minute past). Yet you stretched it…11:03, 11:05…slowly, gradually testing the limits, hoping that one day you could comfortably stroll in at midnight without a hassle. Until the day that you came in at 11:07. Such a small infraction, but Dad takes the keys away. A little harsh? I guess, since you had been getting away with it with no repercussions. So what’s different this time? Johnny gets home a few minutes late all the time…heck, everyone does! Too bad. You knew the rules and you kept stretching them. You HAD to know it was going to bite you at some point. Shame on you if you didn’t. Your anger is probably more out of embarassment than anything else.

Fine, the Devils didn’t break any rules. They’ve (not so cleverly) exploited a legal loophole. But it’s bullshit and you know it. Yes, they should have put the kibosh on these sorts of deals long ago. But slowly, teams have been testing the limits of realism with these deals. The NHL has had enough, and if the early indications are correct, the New Jersey Devils are not going to appeal the decision. Translation: “Ok, you got me, you got me!”

Because Bettman and friends didn’t correct past mistakes doesn’t mean he shouldn’t fix what he can now. It’s the same stupid, lazy argument with headshots. “Well, Mike Richards went unpunished, so did Matt Cooke, so why should Ovechkin be punished?”. Sorry to use parent-speak here, but two wrongs don’t make a right.

When negotiations on the CBA are opened, the NHL will attempt to close this loophole. If the players have any smarts about them, they’ll allow it to be closed for their own good.  Matt Reitz, blogger from View From My Seats has good reasons why. Basically, it’s one word: Escrow.

Might I suggest that the NHL insist on having contracts approved by the league before any formal announcement is made by the team? For a league that is often accused of being a laughing stock, having fluffy press conferences to announce the signing of the league’s most coveted free agent, only to torpedo the whole thing is highly embarassing. And while we’re at it, didn’t this press conference seem like the equivalent of a football team lining up to get the next play in after they know they just benefitted from a questionable call just seconds earlier? I could be wrong, but it seems like the Devils thought if they threw this press conference, they’d essentially be daring the league to negate this deal, lest they get egg on their face.

For once, the league has done the right thing. It sucks for the Devils, who may not get Kovalchuk back, and it really sucks for their fans, but that’s too bad. Lou Lamoriello pretty much had his hand forced by ownership to make the deal happen (need proof? LouLam said he didn’t like the Hossa deal and he rolled his eyes at the structure and length of the DiPietro deal. Why do it yourself unless you were being pressured by your boss to get it done?).

What’s your take?

Some Habs fans are upset, despite being locked up at 2 games apiece with the defending Cup champs.

Why are they upset? Because, apparently the officials are under strict orders from the NHL to ensure that Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins ensnare another championship. What Canadiens fans fail to realize is that just about every team’s fanbase is accusing the league of conspiring against them. How can the league possibly be conspiring against everyone…except Crosby, of course.

Friend and fellow blogger Rocket has his own blog up this morning about how the officiating has been horrid, but that the conspiracy talk is not necessary, at least not yet.

Not all of you follow all sports, but if anyone recalls the near-disastrous incident the NBA had to deal with a couple years ago with corrupted official Tim Donaghy, you’d have to believe that all pro sports leagues took note. A league that is suspected of being rigged and fixed is no better than pro wrestling. I’m sorry, but the NHL is not the WWE, and as much as we distrust Gary Bettman and his group, it’s insanity to think that he’d willingly put the NHL is such a position.

Please, enough. There aren’t any conspiracies or agendas, at least as far as match fixing is concerned. And that goes for Canadiens fans, Canucks fans, Redwings fans, and fans of any other team that think they’ve been stabbed in the back by the league.

If Bettman and his cronies at the NHL were scheming and plotting to ensure certain teams and players have success, then ask youselves the following questions:

• Would the league have allowed the Hurricanes to play the Oilers in the Cup finals?
• Would the league have allowed the Lightning to play the Flames in the Cup finals?
• Wouldn’t the league have done its best to ensure that the Rangers not only made the playoffs in the last 2 games vs Philadelphia, but ensure they go deep ? After all, New York is by FAR the largest TV market in the U.S., and TV ratings mean money.
• Wouldn’t the league have done more to try and help the Kings defeat the Canucks? Fans in Vancouver were pretty certain that the league was fixing to ensure their team’s demise. And why not? The Kings are the 2nd largest market in the U.S., and capturing that market would also mean a ton of TV ratings…and more money!
• Wouldn’t the league want to see a Los Angeles – New York Stanley Cup final…every year? That would mean HUGE television numbers, no? I’m sure on some level, they’d love for that to happen, but they aren’t actively acting as puppet masters to make that happen.
• Wouldn’t the league have done its utmost to ensure another matchup between Ovechkin and Crosby in the playoffs? As geniuses, surely they could have found a way to get rid of the Canadiens, no?