There’s no denying it; the Stanley Cup playoffs have been one intense affair this year – and we’re only in the first round.
Last week I laid out a few reasons why sports fans should watch the playoffs. One of those reasons was the fighting and just how ridiculous the fights have been thus far through the postseason. But those heated passions that lead to fights have unfortunately led to many scary situations this post season, which by and large have been completely uncalled for.
While head hunting is undoubtedly common in hockey, it has led to unreasonably dangerous situations and injuries. Between Phoenix’s Raffi Torres launching himself into Chicago’s Marian Hossa’s face April 17 to Nashville’s Shea Weber slamming Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg’s head into the end boards April 11, the NHL has faced multiple disciplinary rulings in the few short weeks the playoffs have been around.
And boy, has the NHL been real inconsistent.
In the Weber-Zetterberg incident, Weber was not suspended for his deliberate action and instead received a $2,500 fine and a warning to be more careful through the rest of the playoffs. The ruling was the equivalent of a small slap on the hand.
This season, Weber made $7,500,000 dollars – $2,500 is an infinitesimal amount for a player who clearly tried to injure a fellow player.
On the other end of the spectrum, Torres was slammed with a 25-game suspension for his hit – which, while unnecessarily violent, was not worth 25 games. No matter if the Coyotes can capitalize on their 3-2 series lead over the Blackhawks, Torres will not be back on the ice until next season as there is only a maximum of 23 games left in the playoffs for Phoenix after Saturday night’s loss to Chicago.
Torres’ suspension has been the latest in a string of rulings the NHL has made this post season. Brendan Shanahan, the NHL’s vice president who is in charge of play safety and on-ice discipline, has made eight suspensions through 39 playoff games as of Saturday night – that’s right about one suspension for every five games (at a .205 clip).
For some perspective, through the preseason and regular season, Shanahan only made 44 suspensions through 1,338 games, which is equivalent to one suspension every 30 games. Also, in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, there were only a total of seven suspensions doled out. Given the amount of games through the post season, the difference is astounding.
As a result of these discrepancies, Torres’ 25-game suspension seems to be more of a statement by Shanahan than a fair ruling (and maybe he’s trying to make up for his ruling on Weber’s incident). Certainly his move on Hossa was completely unnecessary with a clear intent to harm – I mean, who aims for the face? But Shanahan’s ruling seems to be yelling “Enough is enough.”
For some reason, the playoffs are more heated than ever this year, which is leading to some scary instances in which players have all but thrown safety out of the game. Shanahan simply is trying to restore it.
Ultimately, he’s making an example of Torres. It’s not fair, but it’s necessary.
Fighting and big hits have always been a few of the things that make hockey great, but when player safety is put on the line, sometimes extreme rulings are needed to get the message through to the players.
Considering the sports world is in the middle of a concussion epidemic and research is showing just how damaging sports like hockey and football are to the brain, those sports can’t afford to have unwarranted violence to the degree that has been on display through these last two weeks.
I recently had a discussion with a friend about how hockey and football will soon be in decline because of the medical research surrounding brain damage in connection with how the sports are played. I completely disagreed, mainly due to the traditions both sports have fostered. But, upon witnessing how violent this first series has become, it is difficult not to think that all this violence is detrimental to the state of hockey.
Shanahan clearly has recognized this point and is trying to put an end to not only the violence but also the repercussions it has had and could potentially have.
These playoffs have been chaotic. If Shanahan’s tough and over-the-top ruling for Torres’ has any implications on the game, hopefully that chaos will be toned down, but only to a point that keeps the game as intense as ever but in an atmosphere that is much safer for players.
We do not need any more players being ushered off the ice on stretchers.
Kelly is a junior majoring in journalism. Do you think the NHL is taking the proper measures to get its message across? Let her know on Twitter @kellymerickson or email her at [email protected]
