Penguins and Mario Lemieux Sound Off on Islanders and NHL

Two days after the circus act on Long Island between the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins concluded, Penguin owner and NHL Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux sounded off on the Islanders and the NHL for the way the game and the fallout was handled.

“The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed," said Lemieux in a statement.

“We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players," Lemieux explained. "We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not be tolerated and will be met with meaningful disciplinary action."

Of course, Lemieux is going to come to the defense of his team, but the Penguins are not the angels of hockey as the NHL sometimes make them appear to be.

We have to remember that this same Lemieux who signs Matt Cooke's paycheck.

Cooke has had several run-ins with the NHL-law throughout his career, including being responsible for potentially ending Marc Savard's career, who has now become injury-prone following Cooke's headshot last season.

He is currently serving a suspension for a brutal, brainless hit from behind on Columbus' Fedor Tyutin.

Cooke isn't to blame here, by any means. But the fact is that if you can dish it out, you have to be able to take it.

The Penguins played a rough, chippy game Friday night, something that has become forgotten.

No one enjoys seeing their team, one already facing injuries the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin, get beat up and routed 9-3, and clearly Lemieux is rattled.

"Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be," he said. "But what happened Friday night on Long Island wasn’t hockey. It was a travesty. It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that.

“If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to re-think whether I want to be a part of it."

"We are entirely comfortable with how Friday night's events were handled," said Bill Daly, the Deputy Commissioner of the NHL. "We have no other response to Mr. Lemieux's statement."