NHL Playoffs 2012: Brendan Shanahan Should Lose His Job

In 2011, when Colin Campbell stepped down from his position as the NHL's chief player-disciplinarian, there was a sigh of relief and tons of joy from hockey fans everywhere.

Shortly after, an ex-player all hockey fans were familiar with, was named as his successor.

Brendan Shanahan, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner and an eight-time NHL All-Star, was named the new chief after he had retired from a 21-year career in the NHL as a player.

Fans everywhere thought, who better to be charged with laying down the law in the NHL than the only player to score more than 600 goals and have more than 2,000 penalty minutes?

Well, Shanahan's honeymoon, as it were, was very short lived.

The NHL is out of control—Shanahan is almost completely powerless, and it is time for him to go.

Lack of Transparency

Let's just start with the most obvious of the issues Shanahan is having with his current job.

His lack of transparency in the decisions he makes are more than obvious.

There are a number of events that have recently happened that you could cite, but I feel the most powerful would be the three-game suspension of the New York Rangers' Carl Hagelin.

One playoff game is viewed as the equivalent of two regular season games. So by that math, Hagelin, who is a first-time offender, mind you, was suspended six games for his elbowing of Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson.

Six games.

Then there is the incident of Shea Weber's almost WWE-like move of slamming Henrik Zetterberg's head into the glass like it was a turnbuckle.

This play was referred to by commentators and Predator's fans alike as being "part of the game."

Weber's punishment? Just a $2,500 dollar fine and a slap on the wrist.

So, in the NHL, if you elbow someone, you receive a six-game suspension. But if you slam someone's head into the boards, all you get is a fine?

Factoring Injury

This could single-handedly be the biggest issue I have with Shanahan personally.

In the decision process, Shanahan factors a player's "intent to injure" in the final outcome for the player's punishment.

So, in reality, you could go out and pummel someone on the ice, but if the NHL and Brendan Shanahan can't find that you intended to injure the player you hurt, you'll probably get away with a slap on the wrist.

Like Shea Weber's "hockey play."

If the judicial system in America prosecuted criminals for what happened after the fact, people would revolt.

This part of Shanahan's system feeds right in to his lack of transparency for one reason—if a player isn't hurt on a play, there's no reason for him to review it. It essentially lets players slip through the system by taking flagrant penalties, and because no one is hurt, no one is punished.

It's simple: Punish the action, not the result.

Personal Bias

I might have been one of the people that had the small notion in their head that Shanahan was quite possibly one of the worst candidates for this job when it was announced he took over.

The voice in my head was small, but it was still there.

An ex-player with the pedigree of Shanahan's is just what this position requires. And his on-ice resume makes him a perfect candidate as well.

But, we all remember the kind of player that he was.

With that being said, the voice in my head has switched topics. It now tells me that Shanahan, to a degree, might be operating with a certain level of bias. And he might even be a puppet to some of the higher-ups in the front office.

Then why wouldn't he suspend Shea Weber for an action against a player who currently plays for the organization that essentially made him who he is? Well, there's an easy answer to that.

Shanahan probably hit the roof when he saw what Weber did to Zetterberg, but, putting a player like Weber off the ice in a big series when the Predators are one of the NHL's best stories this postseason? Anyone that thought Weber would be suspended obviously is unfamiliar with the business side of this sport.

Out of Control Play

I'm sure by now everyone has seen the hit that Raffi Torres put on the Blackhawks' Marian Hossa during the Game 3 contest between Chicago and Phoenix.

The fact that a player like Torres, who is one of the most incessant repeat-offenders in the NHL today, still has a job, speaks volumes to the type of character that should be filling Shanahan's role.

Colin Campbell was "too reckless" is the complaint hockey fans had, and now the complaint is that Shanahan isn't strict enough in the correct areas.

The fact is, it takes a special individual to play lawman to hockey players.

If you've thought this year's NHL postseason has been one giant circus of missed calls and ridiculous play, let me point something out to you.

It's only the first round.

What the NHL Needs

What the NHL needs is someone who the players will fear.

Not one that players fear so much that it has them playing scared, but someone that will cause players to think twice before they take action out on the ice.

When I tell people this, I get the common response that since hockey is such a fast sport, you act first and think second. Well, as a lifelong student of the game, I can speak to the fact that there is always time to stop when it comes to the type of plays we're talking about.

Do you think Marty McSorley didn't have enough time to think before he hit Donald Brashear in the back of his head with his stick? Do you think Milan Lucic had time to stop and think before he ran over Ryan Miller?

Players don't respect the authority of Brendan Shanahan because he doesn't know how to use it.

Well, the NHL should find someone who does. For their own sake.

David is a lifelong fan and player of hockey. He is a season ticket holder for the San Jose Sharks. Please feel free to comment and offer feedback on all articles and follow him on Twitter: @TheReal_DB3, for every 300 followers he will give 1K to an NHL Charity!