Zack Kassian suspended for rest of pre-season / 5 games of regular season

That sucks but you need to be in control of your stick at all times. Also who cares about missing the rest of the pre-season. And 5 games is the minimum for in person hearings
 
I don't have an issue with it, or the Weise suspension at all. Like stated above you've got to be in control of yourself and your stick.
 
Same thing in April would be 1 game if that. Easy to throw around big suspensions to start the year. Zero consistency, and nobody knows what the hell is a suspension anymore these days.

Derek
 
So the injury dictates the suspension??

Then I wonder what Kessel's suspension is going to be. No injury, but definite intent. Made contact 3 different times.

And because Scott didn't get injured and is a goon, I wouldn't be surprised if Kessel gets of easy.

It's going to look completely inconsistent.
 
I think this was a complete accident and the suspension is a little stiff. Sure I understand everyone needs to have control of their stick but this is a big suspension. Guys got a lot less when intentionally hurting guys. The good old NHL, not the most reliable and consistent when handing out discipline lol.
 
What about Weise only getting the rest of the exhibition season even though targeted Taylor Halls head. I thought that was one of the hits they were trying to get rid of. I would be saying the same thing if it was Hall doing that to Weise. 3 perseason games garbage.
 
They need to get players like John Scott out of hockey. Phil Kessel should have broken his stick over his head. I don't go to games to watch goons on the ice who can't play. I want to watch the skilled players..and Kessel is the best on that team. No other sport would put up with that nonsense and it is one of the reasons hockey is marginalized down here in the USA.
 
dismonkey1 said:
They need to get players like John Scott out of hockey. Phil Kessel should have broken his stick over his head. I don't go to games to watch goons on the ice who can't play. I want to watch the skilled players..and Kessel is the best on that team. No other sport would put up with that nonsense and it is one of the reasons hockey is marginalized down here in the USA.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Fans go nuts during the fights and crazy rough stuff. In my opinion if I don't see at least one fight in a game I get pissed haha.
 
dismonkey1 said:
They need to get players like John Scott out of hockey. Phil Kessel should have broken his stick over his head. I don't go to games to watch goons on the ice who can't play. I want to watch the skilled players..and Kessel is the best on that team. No other sport would put up with that nonsense and it is one of the reasons hockey is marginalized down here in the USA.
Click to expand...

I don't know, I still think there is a place for the John Scott's of the world in the NHL. Just get rid of the instigator penalty and now the stupid helmet penalty, and make players accountable for their actions whether their name is Sidney Crosby or Daniel Carcillo. If you watch a game in any building in the US, you see more fans get out of their seats and cheer for a fight, you don't see them get upset and go home.

The John Scott's and George Parros of the NHL have nothing to do with hockey being marginalized in the US. Hockey has come a long way in the last 30 years, but it will never be close to the NFL or MLB, no matter what they do. The other sports have been a major institution in this country for almost 100 years, and nothing the NHL does will ever get them to that level, despite what Bettman thinks. When you have a league that puts in stupid rules like the jersey tuck penalty, it will alienate more fans then it will draw.

As for Kassian, I don't know if he really lost balance and swung his stick by accident, but it doesn't look that way in the video. Unfortunate outcome and a player was hurt, so in this case the penalty seems to fit the crime. Everyone wants consistency, but I think we all know that will never happen in this league.
 
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dismonkey1 said:
They need to get players like John Scott out of hockey. Phil Kessel should have broken his stick over his head...
Click to expand...

So, let me get this straight. In order to get a goon/goons out of hockey, you want a 'skilled' player to swing his stick so hard at another player's head, that the stick breaks in the process.

Sounds logical...

:rolleyes:
 
Hell, after this, Shanny is the biggest idiot of the whole bunch.

Problem is, he just keeps proving he's more of one with every incident.

Man, the season hasn't even started yet, and I'm already a bit disinterested in the NHL.
 
OK,I'll ask.Granted,Kessel got off light for his Paul
Bunyan impersonation.But what would you guys
consider fair punishment for breaking somebodies
jaw?Accident or not,he hit him in the head with his
stick and did damage.So help me understand why
Shanny is a moron here.Are you guys trying to tell
me that these both deserve the same punishment
because if so,I'm sorry but you're wrong.
 
coxy15 said:
OK,I'll ask.Granted,Kessel got off light for his Paul
Bunyan impersonation.But what would you guys
consider fair punishment for breaking somebodies
jaw?Accident or not,he hit him in the head with his
stick and did damage.So help me understand why
Shanny is a moron here.Are you guys trying to tell
me that these both deserve the same punishment
because if so,I'm sorry but you're wrong.
Click to expand...

I am just tired of people complaining at every incident, it's too much, it's too little. In actuality, it doesn't matter what any of us think. It is pointless to whine and complain.

There is inconsistency in how these suspensions are handed down, it doesn't mean that Shanny is a moron, I'm done with this hyperbole. It means that the manner in which these suspensions are handed out is inherently flawed. However, that won't change because it seems damn impossible to come up with a system that denotes so many games for a certain type of act.

The one thing I would like to see is an explanation when announcing suspensions about how many games came from the act, and how many games came from the result of the act (ie. injury).

Personally I do not think that any resulting injury should be factored into a suspension, because then it becomes an arbitrary thing any time an injury like Sam Gagner's occurs.

With that said, I would not have had a problem with Kassian getting 10 games or more. It does just seem like a completely random number.

Finally, again, in the end it matters less than zero what I think. I don't see people boycotting the NHL because of the inconsistent way in which suspensions are handed down.
 
I find it hypocritical that there are certain things that the NHL says it's trying to eliminate from the game, but then make suspensions based on injury instead of intent to injure.

Players get injured all the time from careless stick work. Most of the time it's a cut on the lip, maybe chip a tooth, etc.

Basically it sends a message it's okay to take 2 handed whacks at another player's ankle, wrist, etc, but as long as they don't get injured. Since when were 2 handed swings "not that bad" or a hockey play?

If a guy gets injured on a clean hit, it's a hockey play. If a guy doesn't get injured on a dirty hit, there's no suspension. A guy gets injured because of a careless unintentional play, there's a suspension.

So if a guy intentionally does a 2 handed cross check to the face of a player, but doesn't break his jaw, it somehow seen as less severe a careless accident where other player's jaw is broken??

Duncan Keith got 1 game last year for "accidentally" hitting Carter in the face with his stick in retaliation to Carter's slash. Broken teeth and 20 stitches.

Two 5 game suspension were handed out last year. Kaleta on Richards for boarding, Ryan White on Huskins for illegal hit to the head. Only Torres hit on Stoll in the playoffs got more games. Kassian gets 5 plus pre-season games.
 
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canucksfreak19 said:
It means that the manner in which these suspensions are handed out is inherently flawed. However, that won't change because it seems damn impossible to come up with a system that denotes so many games for a certain type of act.
Click to expand...

It is flawed. But there is a system that can be implemented, but the NHL refuses to implement it.

Automatic suspensions. Just like Clarkson's suspension.

Just like how tripping is a 2 minute penalty, flipping the puck over the boards in the defensive zone is an automatic 2 minute delay of game penalty.

You could make it a comprehensive list (with no appeal process) or a general list with an appeal process (to reduce some games, but there will always be a minimum suspension). Plus an "violent act" clause, where more games could be tacked on.


side note on "equavalency" for offenses: Is delay of game the same as cross checking or highsticking? No. but it's still 2 minutes.
 
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Just for shiz and gigglz (and for some constructive discussion)

How about:

illegal/suspensdable offense: 1 game
intent to injure: 2 games
violent act/vulnerable player: 4 games (checking/boarding from behind/blindside hits)
head principle point of contact (body): 4 games
minor injury: 0-1 game, subject to review.
major injury: 3 games minimum, subject to review.
repeat offender: x2, x3 for third offence in 2 or 3 years, etc.

pre-season = 1/2 reg season game
playoffs = 2 reg season games
SCF = 3 reg season games

Round suspension up, if there are fractions of game.

So Kassian would have received 1 game + 3 games for major injury.
Wiese would have received 5 games (1 + 4 for headshot), maybe 4 more for blindside.
Kessel would get 1 + 2 for intent to injure. Next suspension would be x2.

Last year, Torres would have got 1 + 4 headshot + 4 blindside hit + 3 for major injury (concussion). Double it if he's a repeat offender. So that would be minimum 12 games = 6 playoff games min. Add even more if Stoll has a severe concussion. So Torres' hit could potentially cost him over 24 regular season games.

If you really want to deter the head shots, increase the penalty. Let the players know beforehand how severe the penalty will be. So maybe in that split second, they might just let up, instead of driving the head of the other player into the glass, or aim a bit lower instead of jumping up.

To me pretty simple. Get rid of the "review" by Shanny/Murphy/Campbell etc. It would make it more consistent and get rid of the "conspiracy theories" and conflict of interest.
 

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