It has been nearly 48 hours since Aaron Rome sent Nathan Horton back in time with a late hit that has drawn the ire of many following the series, as well as those playing in it. Upon Mike Murphy laying down a four game suspension I was caught off guard by the surprised reaction of some of the expert analysts who felt the suspension was too much.
Too much? Seeing a player get drilled into orbit and having to lie down on the ice the way Nathan Horton did is a scene that nobody wants to see and to the credit of Mike Murphy he made a decision that needed to be made. What is the point of suspending a player for a game or two just because it is the Stanley Cup Final when the injured player will be lucky to watch an entire game in the series, let alone play in one? You ask me, four games is fair but it should be addressed and stated that any actions similar will not be tolerated any longer. Suspensions need to be swift and strict, like any other rules we abide by on a daily basis. No matter the player, if you do the crime, you should serve the time. Can you imagine the state Doug Wilson and Todd McLellan would have been in if the NHL forced Joe Thornton out for the remainder of the season for his hit on David Perron?
There was a time when Scott Stevens would deliver a hit like the one Aaron Rome did and it wouldn’t raise an eye brow; today with the players and the game growing at a rapid pace we are seeing injuries and the ramifications become a serious issue for those at the National Hockey League’s head office. With the NHLPA rarely playing a role in the protection of the victim, rather taking the role of looking out for the villain, something clearly needs to be done before an injury takes place that blows any of its predecessors out of the water.
This isn’t an issue strictly left within the National Hockey League, it should also pertain to the various minor, junior and college leagues across North America. Anyone who happened to follow the 2011 Memorial Cup can tell you that the Owen Sound Attack can relate to what the Boston Bruins are going through as they not only lost one, but two of their top players to head injuries during the week long tournament. One of which involved Colorado Avalanche prospect Joey Hishon who was drilled by Kootenay Ice defenceman Brayden McNabb. I mention this not only because of the paralleling resemblance to the Horton-Rome incident, but because of the rather light sentence handed out by the usual stern David Branch. Branch has a history of handing out lengthy suspensions but in this case levied out a one game suspension to the Ice rearguard, while Hishon was unable to participate in any further contests. This along with having Garrett Wilson sidelined later in the tournament essentially left the OHL champions in a hole they could not get themselves out of as they were eliminated in a tie breaker vs, you guessed it, the Kootenay Ice.
The Stanley Cup Final is an intense time for the players, coaches, management and those following the series with any invested interest. You are going to see things happen that will be under a microscope only brought out at this time of the year, but is it time to keep that microscope out from October until June? If you ask me, yes. It is time for the league to make things as black and white as possible and let it be known that actions speak louder than words and if you intend on hurting an opponent you will essentially be hurting your team as well as yourself. If Sidney Crosby decides to cross check Matt Hendricks in the back of the head, or Alexander Ovechkin feels the need to drive his elbow into the ear of Tim Brent, the time penalty will be no different if the parties involved were reversed.
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