NHL Suspensions: Colin Campbell's Inconsistentcy Cause for Concern

Suspensions in pro sports, more specifically in the NHL, have long been a hot topic of debate amongst sports fans everywhere.

Like them or not—which usually depends on whether or not one of the players on your team is being penalized for his actions—most suspensions are warranted.

While the validity of a suspension is typically a non-factor, there is often a lot of debate that goes with the length of the suspension and the ensuing fines that often go with them.

As early as it is in the NHL season, NHL chief disciplinarian Colin Campbell has already handed out a pair of suspensions that have caused NHL fans to call into sports shows and hit the NHL boards en mass to voice their displeasure and concern (both pro and con) over the length of the suspensions Campbell handed out.

First up—New York Islanders defenseman James (don’t call me Jeff Finger) Wisniewski made a rather crude gesture towards NHL ultra-pest Sean Avery, which, while inappropriate, didn’t hurt anyone and given Avery’s past behavior (which has been brutal at best), may have been well-deserved.

On the one hand, you don’t want to see NHL players making any kind of rude gestures towards their fellow combatants, especially with impressionable children in the audience.

On the other hand, given the fact that nobody was hurt and that NHL players often shout offensive language out to opponents on a regular basis, you can see the merits in just letting the incident go.

For his part, Campbell dulled out a two-game suspension to Wisniewski, hurting the Islanders on the ice and causing Wisniewski to lose just over $80,000 in salary.

Under the circumstances, two games seemed moderately fair and sent a message to other players that this type of behavior would not be tolerated going forward and certainly made sure Wisniewski got the message, loud and clear.

That is, until you look at the other incident and subsequent suspension that Campbell handed out.

As many NHL fans know, dangerous hits have long been a point of contention for the players, general managers, NHLPA and the NHL itself.

In an effort to reduce the number of dangerous hits, the NHL (with the blessing of the players, general managers and NHLPA) instituted a number of new rules that will make players more accountable for things like head shots and blindside hits—two of the dirtiest hits in the game.

Rewind to Monday, October 11 to the Buffalo Sabres vs. Chicago Blackhawks game in Buffalo.

With 5:42 to go in the first period, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson blindsided Buffalo Sabres forward Jason Pominville—slamming the unsuspecting Pominville into the boards, which caused his head to hit the boards violently and ultimately lead to Pominville being carted off the ice on a stretcher with a concussion.

Hjalmarsson was given a five-minute major for boarding on the play, a game misconduct and a date with Colin Campbell for a disciplinary hearing.

It was a dangerous hit—as dangerous as they come—a hit that, given the circumstances, should have been punished accordingly and without prejudice.

Fact is, Pominville could have had his career ended by Hjalmarsson’s careless/reckless hit. The fact that Pominville didn’t break his neck is beside the point (we’ll talk about this a bit later). The bottom line: Hjalmarsson should have received at least 10 games for his stupidity.

So, if Hjalmarsson didn’t get 10, 20 or more games, what did he get? Two. Two lousy games—the same discipline Wisniewski got for a rude gesture...where is the justice in that NHL fans?

And therein lies the problem. How does Colin Campbell and the NHL possibly justify delivering James Wisniewski a two-gamer for a gesture, followed by a two-gamer for Hjalmarsson’s reckless and potentially career-ending hit on Jason Pominville?

Simply put, no matter how you slice it, the NHL cannot justify it.

Optically speaking, the NHL and Campbell both came out on the wrong end of this one, reinforcing many fans beliefs that the NHL is a joke—at least when it comes to maintaining a sense of consistency on the subject of suspensions and fines.

Regardless of which side of the fence your opinion lies on the Wisniewski gesture or Hjalmarsson hit, one thing is clear—when it comes to NHL suspensions, there is absolutely no consistency at all and that, my friends, is a joke!

What troubles me most about all of this is the underlying belief that the NHL actually gives a crap. When Hjalmarsson gets a two-game suspension for almost ending Pominville’s career, the message is loud and clear—we (the NHL) do not care, end of story.

As much as I disliked the length and severity (insert laughter here) of the Hjalmarsson suspension, I shudder at the thought of how many dirty hits and actions have gone unpunished over the years and the fact that the NHL continues to tolerate the same poor behavior from the same players over and over again.

For example, how is it that Sean Avery, with his long resume of stupidity and dangerous actions, is still in the NHL?

On Friday night, Avery two-handed Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mike Komisarek, not once but twice—a dangerous incident that could have caused a long-term injury to Komisarek.

The NHL has deemed two-handers below the waist as acceptable, so no suspension is warranted. Really? And what if Avery broke Komisarek’s ankle? What then?

Is it “OK” that Avery is out there two-handing opponents? Does that give every NHL player the right to participate in this kind of behavior without threat of suspension or fine? What does this say about the NHL? What does this say about the game of hockey?

You see, as much as NHL fans often differ on the suspensions that are being handed out, there is a ton of behavior that goes unpunished, which, in itself, is a massive problem that must be addressed.

The bottom line is this—until the NHL gets off its butt and sets some standards for suspensions we will continue to see zero consistency, which is troubling to say the least.

Fact is, when it comes to NHL suspensions, the only thing that is consistent is that there is no consistency, and that my friends is a dangerous precedent.

Until next time,

Peace!