With that said, my problem isn’t so much with this suspension… but what about a one game suspension for making a cut throte gesture? Thats not obscene at all, and not something that might offend someone… and again players say far worse to eachother on the ice. So if its not obscene, not going to offend anyone watching the game, and nothing worse than what goes on constantly…. why the suspension? This is hockey afrer all, and not tennis.

Or as mentioned in this article, what about the six game suspension for Avery’s off ice remarks? He made an off ice comment not related to hockey and was suspended? And for SIX games?? What the hell was that about? Like Avery or not, theres clearly something screwed up about the NHL and their suspension choices. What Avery said might have been some what obscene and all, but it was bearly PG-13 rated and no one was hurt over it I’m sure. It was worth a hefty fine perhaps, but a suspension? The NHL isn’t middle school….. (such comments would not have resulted in a suspension from high school).

So the league is willing to throw around suspensions for childish things like that, yet Matt Cooke possibly ended Mark Savards career with a blind side, and horribly dirty hit, that likely had intent to injure given Cookes record… and he didn’t miss a game? What the hell is that about? If you can come up with some BS reason to suspend a player six games for some off ice comments, you certainly can find a rule to suspend a player who goes out of his way to deliver a dirty hit that results is a major injury. Hell the NHL could have simply said Cooke delivered the hit with intent to injure and suspended him 5-10 games… it was actaully seemed like a very simple decision. Yet they hid behind the rule book, and acted as though there was nothing they could do… which we all know was BS.

The NHL has no credability as far as I’m concerened with its extreamly odd enforcment of rules. Right now the message I would be getting if I was a player is “Its fine to go out and try to end a guys career… but if you act like a high school kid, we’ll throw the book at you!”. Thats pretty sad vibe to get from a pro sports league.