2011 NHL Playoffs: Why Mike Richards Should Have Been Suspended

There has already been a lot of controversy in the NHL playoffs regarding questionable hits to the head when Raffi Torres demolished Brent Seabrook a few games ago.

Now, we have some more controversy, but this time from the other conference.

During the second period of Game 6 between the Flyers and the Sabres, Mike Richards drove Tim Connolly head first into the boards.

Connolly lay motionless on the ice for a few moments before being helped off the ice into the newly instituted "quiet room."

Richards was awarded a two minute penalty for boarding and, as we have learned earlier today, will not be suspended for the upcoming Game 7.

Personally, I'm astonished.  Yes, I know that the playoffs are a different beast when it comes to enforcement of penalties, but the league needs to take a much harder look at how this makes them appear after this.

This hit that Richards delivered to Connolly is the poster child for the type of hit that the league claims to want completely out of the game.

Connolly had his back completely turned to him on the play, and Richards didn't just hit him, he added an extra shove into his back that caused Connolly to lose his balance and have his head be the first thing to hit the dashers.

Mike Richards is no stranger to this type of situation, especially with the hit he leveled against David Booth two years ago.  Richards would actually fall under the "repeat offender" category, yet there is no suspension.  This isn't even the first major infraction against Richards in this series.

The NHL continues to fall short in their consistency when it comes to these types of plays.  They say that they don't want anything like this in the game, but then allow a hit like this to go without suspension.

Frankly, I'm stunned that Richards wasn't kicked out of this game.  That type of hit is one that wouldn't have been out of line for the referees to give a five minute major, game misconduct and kick the player out of the game. 

Is it possible the referees tried too much to not be a factor in the game when dishing out this penalty?  I think it's a real possibility.  Think about it.

That play put the Sabres on a long five on three power-play situation.  If Richards had been out of the game, that would have been a huge blow to the Flyers the rest of the way. 

Think about how difficult it would be for the Flyers to be without their captain in their own building for Game 7. I think it's quite possible the disciplinary board may be taking that into consideration for their playoff decisions, which is completely unfair to the player injured.

Connolly will be missing Game 7 by the way.

If the NHL ever wants to be taken seriously in regards to these types of hits, then they need to continue enforcing the rules they say are in place regardless of the time of year.

There is absolutely no question in my mind about this one, Mike Richards should have been suspended.