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Shana-banned: Daniel Carcillo gets two-game unpaid vacation

Daniel Carcillo

New Chicago Blackhawks player Daniel Carcillo speaks after he and Andrew Brunette were introduced by the team at a news conference Monday, Aug. 8, 2011, in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

AP

We knew that Daniel Carcillo would talk to Brendan Shanahan. Now we know what they talked about (via Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville): the NHL has suspended Carcillo for two games for his dangerous shove on Hurricanes’ defenseman Joni Pitkanen.

The play in question occurred only two minutes into Chicago’s 3-0 ugly defeat to the Canes. It’s an interesting suspension in that Carcillo wasn’t even penalized on the ice for the borderline call, yet he’ll miss two games (and two gameday checks) for the dangerous play.

This is exactly the kind of play that would have brought out the Wheel of Justice last season. Quenneville was a realist when he said, “his reputation may have been a part of it as well.” But with the consistency that Shanahan has brought to the league offices, it certainly appeared that Carcillo was going to get some type of punishment. Even going back to preseason, the league has been consistent in punishing reckless plays in dangerous areas of the ice.

Considering that there wasn’t even a penalty on the play from the on-ice officials, do you think the league got this one right? If this were some other player with a lesser reputation, would they have been let off with a simple fine? More importantly—should Carcillo have received a fine or did the play warrant a two-game suspension?