Monday Musings on a Tuesday: Bad Things Keep Happening

Very similar to the Saturday puppy blog, I just don't know what to say to you guys. So this will be quick.

I mean, UMD, by my admittedly biased but hopefully not totally inaccurate estimation, played four good to very good/great games against a great North Dakota team. UMD controlled the majority of the four games, including dictating pace this past weekend in a tough place to play.

Two goals on 139 shots, one power-play goal in 16 chances, and more importantly, zero NCHC standings points.

Zero. As in "none," "not any," or maybe "not even one damn point."

Looks so bad, no matter what the product looked like.

UMD played strong defensively (the Brock Boeser winning goal late Saturday was really the only significant mistake UMD made in its own zone all weekend) and had the puck a lot, especially Friday.

Nothing to show for it.

Plainly, it (bleeping) sucks.

******

Two things from the Twitter crowd.

--> Lots of frustration, which is understandable. I'm not going to directly address the "fire the coach" mob, despite them being convinced they have a good case built around what the Wild have done since Mike Yeo was let go. This coach shouldn't be fired. No one has quit on Scott Sandelin, and changing coaches isn't going to magically cure the run of terrible luck this team has endured.

(Find me a team that's hit more goalposts and broken more sticks to ruin offensive zone possessions than UMD has this season. It's uncanny. You see a defenseman find a soft spot in the circle, someone passes it to his wheelhouse, he winds, and his stick explodes.)

--> People want to know what UMD (25th in the PWR) has to do to get back in at-large consideration. I don't pretend to be a math expert, but I'd say at this point it starts with sweeping St. Cloud, which would also give UMD the season series against a really good team. That can't hurt, though I admit to being clueless about how much it would actually help.

--> Lastly, people want to know if this team can get hot. I believe in this team until there are no more games to call. I'm not giving up and I know the team isn't. There are games to play, so hell yes this team can get hot. I freely admit they're running out of time, but it can happen, and the talent is there. Just ask, well, any coach or scout involved in this league.

******

The not-terribly-smart hit by UND defenseman Troy Stecher on UMD senior Tony Cameranesi at 20:00 of the third period Saturday night drew him a one-game suspension from the league.

Troy Stecher's hit on Tony Cameranesi - no replay from UND broadcast, made my own https://t.co/6LL7dGicFL

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) February 21, 2016

I hated the hit, and I'm glad the league acted. It was pretty cheap, in my estimation, and it came when the game was basically over. There was no "within the context of the game" moment. It was a hit Stecher didn't need to throw, and I'm sure he knows this without some radio hack in Duluth scolding him in a blog.

Stecher's a good player and a trusted leader on his team. He's a better player than he showed on that hit. UND will miss him in Omaha Friday night, and it will welcome him back with open arms on Saturday.

******

From the frying pan to the fire.

UMD heads to St. Cloud State this weekend with one more chance to play spoiler in the league title race. SCSU and UND are tied at 47 points, six points up on Denver, which closes with Western Michigan and Omaha. SCSU finishes with us and then Colorado College, while UND gets Omaha and Western Michigan.

In case you still care about who wins the league.

UMD is tied for fourth with Omaha and Miami. Omaha has the tiebreaker at the moment. Here are the remaining schedules.

Omaha: vs North Dakota, at Denver
UMD: at St. Cloud State, vs Miami
Miami: vs Colorado College, at UMD

And that's it for a brief update. Enjoy the high school hockey section finals this week, and hey the Wild are playing hockey again, so there's that, too. Talk from St. Cloud.

Dominic Toninato Suspended by NCHC

The NCHC has suspended UMD sophomore forward Dominic Toninato for Saturday's series finale against Western Michigan as a result of his knee-on-knee hit to Nolan LaPorte of Western Michigan Friday night.

Here is the relevant portion of the league's statement from earlier Saturday (UNO's Brian O'Rourke got a two-game ban for a hit to head against Colorado College, but I'm not including that in this copy/paste).

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) has issued suspensions to both Omaha senior defenseman Brian O’Rourke and Minnesota Duluth sophomore forward Dominic Toninato, in accordance with the conference’s supplemental discipline policy, the NCHC announced Saturday, Jan. 17. The suspensions stem from illegal hits during their respective games on Friday, Jan. 16.

Toninato was suspended one game following a review of the play in which knee-on-knee contact was made with a Western Michigan player at 13:31 of the first period of Friday’s game with the Broncos. Toninato was issued a five-minute major for kneeing on the play. He will be required to serve the suspension during Saturday’s series finale with WMU and is eligible to return next weekend, Jan. 23 against Bemidji State in the North Star College Cup.

Ray Rice Punishment Misses the Mark

I could sit here and list off all the NFL suspensions over the years that help make this punishment look completely non-sensical.

After all, Terrelle Pryor got five games for getting some free tattoos. While in college.

You don't need to know anything more than that.

I could just post Keith Olbermann's epic takedown of the NFL from Thursday night. But I only need to mention a few words. The last ones.

While noting that NFL Network's Chris Rose -- a rock-solid broadcaster, to be fair -- had the audacity to talk about Rice's suspension while coining the term "the iron fist of the NFL," Olbermann had this to say:

"Right now, the iron fist of the NFL has just been used ... against Ray Rice's wife ... and against every woman in America."

Many people love NFL football. Hell, I watch every weekend. There are countless web sites, blogs, Twitter feeds, YouTube videos, and other media dedicated to covering the NFL and living the NFL. The league has made a lot of people -- and not just those directly participating as owners, players, coaches, administrators, broadcasters, or whatever else -- a ton of money.

The NFL's success is largely related to its marketing. They're always trying to grow the league, instead of being content with what they already have. In this world, you're either growing or dying. There is no third direction.

(That's from "Tommy Boy," and it's still completely valid some 20 years later.)

That marketing has stretched to females. The NFL has smartly recognized that women around the world have become huge football fans. They might not be fans for any reason besides the fact their significant other is a huge fan, and they've turned football Sundays into a huge part of their relationship, but they're fans.

(Don't misread that. There's a slew of females out there who are football fans without any coercion from the opposite sex. No matter how they've become fans, they matter to the NFL, as they should.)

That means you can coax them into spending their money on the league, and many of them do just that.

Unfortunately, the NFL doesn't treat all women well.

Look what they just did to Janay Palmer-Rice.

The Ray Rice suspension should bother you as a human being. It isn't a tacit endorsement of the behavior caught in that video, where Ray Rice callously drags his unconscious (then) fiancee out of an Atlantic City elevator. He's not dragging her out of the elevator because he's concerned and wants to get her medical attention. He's not dragging her out of the elevator in a panic because he thinks something is wrong. Instead, his actions appear calm and, yes, callous.

Janay Palmer didn't pass out. Ray Rice knocked her out. And he got a two-game suspension for it.

And then Ravens coach John Harbaugh had the utter nerve Thursday to talk about how kids can learn from Rice's actions and the subsequent punishment.

“It’s not a big deal, it’s just part of the process. There are consequences when you make a mistake like that. I stand behind Ray. He’s a heck of a guy. He’s done everything right since. He makes a mistake, alright? He’s going to have to pay a consequence. I think that’s good for kids to understand it works that way. That’s how it works, that’s how it should be.”

Ray Rice might be the nicest guy on Earth. But that should not -- hell, can not -- matter when levying a punishment for something as severe as this.

And I don't want my 12-year-old son learning from any part of what has happened here. This is where the NFL's past punishments become more than just a valid argument. They become downright scary.

I'm not pro-marijuana, but I'd much rather my son smoked marijuana during the NFL offseason than knocked another human being -- worse yet, his significant other -- out cold before dragging that person's lifeless body out of an elevator with no regard for safety or well-being. And the NFL has just sent the message that it would rather you did the opposite.

Justin Blackmon -- who unquestionably needs help before he could ever even consider a comeback -- might never play football again. Ray Rice will be back on the field in Week 3.

It's the wrong message, and it's one I'd like to think the NFL is smart enough to get right. It's failed in this case.

It failed not just women around the world, but it failed its players, even Ray Rice.

Ryan Braun Suspension Taints Brewers History

In 2008, the Milwaukee Brewers chased down their first playoff berth since 1982.

Over the final week of the season, Brewers fans experienced some real goosebump-type moments.



Three years later, more of the same, this time for the NL Central title.



Nearly five years later, those moments have suddenly taken on a different meaning.

And it isn't good.

The man responsible for many of those moments -- Ryan Braun -- has been officially outed as a cheat and the ultimate fraud.

It's one thing for a pro athlete to take performance-enhancing drugs and lie about it. Unfortunately, guys do that all the time.

But Braun took it to another, nauseating, degree.

I spent 23 minutes under the warm Arizona sun two Februaries ago listening to Braun earnestly, arrogantly and pointedly proclaim his innocence, blaming the man who collected his urine for "chain of custody" issues. That's how he beat the rap, on a technicality that he would never admit while professing his innocence.

That day, I listened to him say that upon learning he tested positive for testosterone at "three times higher than any number in the history of drug testing" on Oct. 19, 2011, he said he told the players association: "I promise you on anything that's ever meant anything to me in my life, the morals, the virtues, the values by which I've lived in my 28 years on this planet, I did not do this."

Monday, I watched Braun accept a suspension without pay for the rest of this season, 65 games and about $3.5 million worth, and lamely say, "As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect. I realize now that I have made some mistakes."

Fine time to get religion, isn't it? With his Brewers in last place, 18½ games out? Cutting a deal when he's making a mere $8.5 million this summer, before his salary increases to $10 million next year, $12 million the year after that and then leaps to $19 million in 2016?

What we already suspected, but sadly learned beyond reasonable doubt the minute he signed off on this deal, is that Braun is a phony and a liar. And he is the worst kind of liar: the kind who stares straight into your eyes as he's lying to you.

It's one thing that Braun lied. Sad fact is that people lie all the time, often about stuff not worth lying about, and more often than that about stuff they'll eventually get caught for lying about. And here's the thing: We all know we're going to get caught, but still lie!

But Braun's lies and deceit are only trumped by the awful statement he followed Monday's suspension announcement with.

"As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect," Braun said in a statement. "I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions. This situation has taken a toll on me and my entire family, and it has been a distraction to my teammates and the Brewers organization. I am very grateful for the support I have received from players, ownership and the fans in Milwaukee and around the country.

"Finally, I wish to apologize to anyone I may have disappointed -- all of the baseball fans especially those in Milwaukee, the great Brewers organization and my teammates. I am glad to have this matter behind me once and for all, and I cannot wait to get back to the game I love."

Thanks.

When the initial suspension was overturned, Braun had the nerve to call out the man who took his urine sample in October 2011. He went through back channels to impugn this man's character, even going so far as to insinuate that there was some sort of intent behind the chain of custody issue that got Braun out of a 50-game suspension.

None of this gets Major League Baseball out of its responsibility, but this is not the time to attack Bud Selig. I don't disagree with Brew Crew Ball, which closed its piece on the suspension by saying Selig "got the feather" in his cap that he "so desperately wanted." Part of this was clearly a personal vendetta on Selig's part, but I'm not going to sit here and act as if Braun is some sort of victim.

Ryan Braun put himself in this spot. He did so with what has been reported to be a long pattern of PED usage, not just a one-shot deal. He chose to not only lie about what he had done when presented with the evidence, but he chose to throw a drug-test collector guy to the wolves as part of his defense.

No, Dino Laurenzi, Jr., didn't follow procedure to the letter. But that didn't mean Braun had to go out of his way to point fingers and accuse Laurenzi of acting maliciously. Braun did so knowing that Brewers fans were likely to stand by him, and they did just that.

Now, it's the job of Brewers fans to send their own message.

Not going to suggest vandalism or running on the field to attack, or anything dumb like that.

But here's a novel idea to separate Brewers fans from the neanderthals in San Francisco that cheered Barry Bonds throughout: Make Braun earn it.

After all, the fans are the ones who bought the tickets to fill the coffers and allow the team to pay Braun an absurd amount of money. And the fans are the ones who stood, cheering and screaming when Braun hit home run after home run to get the Brewers to the playoffs twice after a more than quarter-century drought. Those moments -- memories for fans of all ages -- are forever tainted by Braun's use of PEDs. The memories might last, but so will the questions.

Would Braun still have been an MVP without drugs? Would CC Sabathia still have been able to hoist the Brewers to the playoffs in 2008 with not even a half-season's worth of starts? Would the Brewers still have beaten Arizona in 2011 without Braun getting hits in half his 18 at-bats over the series?

We'll never know.

He can't change what he did. But he can make himself a better man for having put himself -- and others -- through what his choices have put them through. No one made him ingest PEDs, but he can make sure it doesn't happen again, and he can earn back the trust of those he has let down.

That's true in his clubhouse, and it's true in Section 218, too.

The Matt Cooke Conundrum

Listen, fans are going to react to things.

Remember, "fan" is short for "fanatic." Dictionary.com defines "fanatic" as "a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal."

No reasonable person expects a diehard fan to not react to news that involves said fan's favorite team.

However, a lot of Minnesota Wild fans went far enough over the weekend to embarrass themselves. Over-the-top reactions are part of sports fandom, yes, but you'd expect a little more out of Minnesota hockey fans than a lot of the stuff we saw after the Wild announced the signing of Matt Cooke.

You'd think Cooke had actually gone Happy Gilmore on the bit at some point, taking off his skate and trying to stab someone with it. Actually, it appeared that at least some fans thought that happened at some point.

Yes, Cooke has a history. The Marc Savard hit, which was deemed legal but was sadly far from that, was a stain on the sport. An awful, unnecessary, completely dirty play that reeked of intent to injure. The hit on Ryan McDonagh wasn't necessarily a good one, either, but the Savard hit practically makes the McDonagh hit look clean in comparison.

The suspensions Cooke has received in his career are completely justified. He probably should have gotten more, given what happened with Savard.

But Cooke hasn't been suspended since the McDonagh shot. That means that in the last two years, Pierre-Marc Bouchard has missed more games due to suspension.

No, Bouchard is not a goon. Cooke really isn't anymore, either.

(I'm not even going to address the Erik Karlsson bit. No reason to bother. If any other player on the Penguins roster does what Cooke did on that play, nobody bats an eye. Even Mike Milbury, discussing the incident on NBC Sports Network that night, acknowledged Cooke's history was the only reason the conversation started. It was a hockey play. After 20-plus years of playing hockey, Cooke didn't just up and decide to sever someone's Achilles.)

Even taking the history of Matt Cooke into account, the reaction of Wild fans on Twitter was scathing, and it's still going on. Do a search for his name on Twitter and enjoy some of the dumb things Wild fans have been saying about this move.

Based on that vitriol, I have to think Wild tickets will be readily available this season, because there are a lot of people who don't seem to want to watch a team Matt Cooke plays for.

Perhaps "embarrassing" is a bit over the top as well, but I've always thought of Minnesota people as being smarter than to fall into traps like this.

Cooke hasn't been suspended in so long that he is no longer a repeat offender in the NHL's eyes. He hasn't taken a major penalty for an illegal check in a regular season game since that ill-fated blow to the head of McDonagh in 2011.

He's been nearly a model citizen in the time since as a Penguin. Good in the community, good in the room, and good in his role on the ice.

His start with Minnesota has been rocky because of the overreaction of many fans, but he's done and said all the right things so far. This is from Michael Russo, chronicling an interview with him Monday on KFAN.

In my opinion, the best part of the interview came at the end when I asked about his number, 24. That number holds a special place in the hearts of many Wild fans because it was the number worn by the late Derek Boogaard. It’s also the number Cooke has worn his entire nearly 1,000-game NHL career.

“The team told me they’re OK with me wearing it because Marty [Havlat] wore it after [Boogaard],” Cooke told me. “I don’t really feel comfortable putting it on without his mum and dad’s blessing. I’ve sent emails off to them. I want to let them know that by putting it on I’m absolutely not doing anything disrespectful. It’s been my only number in the NHL, but at the end of the day, I don’t want anyone’s feelings hurt. I don’t want anyone to think that I am being disrespectful and I want to make sure I take care of that before I even entertain the thought of putting it on.”

Cooke has indeed received that blessing.

It's a class move on his part to even ask. 24 is not a retired number for the Wild. Yes, Boogaard was a legend around these parts, but the Wild were probably never going to retire that number based on what he did while with the team. Typically, cult heroes don't get their jersey numbers in the rafters.

Instead, Cooke -- in a great show of respect to what Boogaard meant to this team -- asked the team first and then Boogaard's family for its blessing before he went ahead with No. 24.

A lesser man would have just taken the number he's always had in his pro career without thinking twice. Cooke understands the history of the franchise he's joining, and he's sensitive to the way Boogaard was lost.

If anything, it probably should diffuse some of the anger toward this signing. Of course, I'm convinced that there is a legion of Minnesota Wild fans not reading anything about Cooke at this point. All they can see is red, and they'll be angry about Cooke until he does something to justify their anger.

I've never hid from the fact that Cooke's agitating and often dirty style of play has worn on me. But I like to watch former UMD players play in the NHL, meaning I've seen plenty of Pittsburgh games the last two seasons (Matt Niskanen). Cooke isn't the same guy, something Yahoo! Sports' Greg Wyshynski made clear with Russo Monday (same link as above):

“Some national media and especially NBC and especially Mike Milbury have been living in the past on Matt Cooke. Like Matt Cooke is not that guy. Matt Cooke is no longer the guy who took off [Marc] Savard’s head, who hit McDonagh from behind, who was injurious and nearly played himself out of the National Hockey League because of that play. He had a lot of personal issues that year, he solved them or at least worked through them. Go on NHL.com and see how many major penalties this guy’s taken in the last two years (none). You’ll be stunned because it’s like nothing. He’s not that player anymore. He’s a serviceable guy. Does he play on the edge? Yeah, of course he plays on the edge much like [Cal] Clutterbuck did. But he’s no longer the headhunter, he’s no longer the guy that you don’t think should be in the National Hockey League because he can’t behave himself. He’s a good contributor to a team. In the last two seasons under this Brendan Shanahan Department of Player Safety stuff, I think he’s earned the right to at least get a chance without being crucified by fans and media in Minnesota without having seen him play all that much with Pittsburgh in the last two years.”

Couldn't say it better. He signed for less than Cal Clutterbuck -- the man he's basically replacing here -- got from the Islanders after the Nino Niederreiter trade. He's probably a more effective player in this role than Clutterbuck was and is. As long as the talk about Cooke's better path as a hockey player is truly not just talk, this should work out fine for the Wild.

Give it ten games, and Wild fans will warm up to this guy.

Now, Todd Bertuzzi, on the other hand ...

Alex Ovechkin, Dan Girardi Involved in Questionable Hits

Much has been made since Saturday's Washington win over the New York Rangers of a hit by Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin on New York defenseman Dan Girardi. Puck Daddy has more. Let's go to the videotape.



It doesn't sound like Ovechkin will face a suspension, which will surely endear him to Ranger fans as they play Game 5 at the Garden Monday night.

I don't have a real problem with the decision. At 0:09 of the video, you can see Ovechkin make what I believe to be contact with Girardi's shoulder. He may have hit Girardi's head, but I believe the principal point of contact was the shoulder.

Since Ovechkin left his feet before contact, a charging call is the correct one here.

The problem I have with this issue is how much control the media has over the fans. The Ovechkin hit was talked about, debated, and shown many times over the weekend. Fans had a chance to throw opinions out there and debate whether Ovechkin -- a repeat offender -- should face discipline.

But -- via my SB Nation friends at Japer's Rink -- what about this hit?



Puck? Gone.

Hendricks? Unsuspecting of the hit.

Contact? High.

I don't think Girardi should be suspended for this hit, but if you feel differently about the Ovechkin hit, how can you not think that way here? No, Girardi didn't leave his feet, but that's not the only qualifier for a questionable hit. Just ask Claude Giroux.



Giroux should have a hearing on this one. Wouldn't be surprised if he sat a game, simply because there appears to be more intent to make contact with the head, and direct contact with the head was indeed made.

The NHL has made some tough decisions, and I haven't agreed with all of them. But the league got the Raffi Torres call right, and I believe they have come closer to being right on most of the decisions made this postseason, outside of the Shea Weber debacling.

As the playoffs go on, it doesn't seem like a strech to say there are more difficult decisions to come for the Department of Player Safety.

Saints Player Punishments Released

The NFL had already dropped the hammer on the New Orleans Saints for a bounty scandal that came out in early March. Head coach Sean Payton is suspended until after the Super Bowl, and then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is out indefinitely.

Wednesday, four players who were prominently involved in the program were suspended by the league. The full press release is below.

The Packers signed defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove as a free agent after the scandal broke, so it's to be assumed the organization knew a suspension was coming. They might be surprised at the length, but the team should have already prepared to not have Hargrove at the outset of the regular season.

Four players - Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith, and Jonathan Vilma - were notified today that they have been suspended without pay for conduct detrimental to the NFL as a result of their leadership roles in the New Orleans Saints' pay-for-performance/bounty program that endangered player safety over three seasons from 2009-2011. Participation by players in any such program is prohibited by the NFL Constitution and Bylaws, the standard NFL Player Contract, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The specific discipline was determined by Commissioner Roger Goodell after a thorough review of extensive evidence corroborated by multiple independent sources. Under Article 46 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the standard NFL Player Contract, a player is subject to discipline by the commissioner for conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the NFL. The discipline imposed today for such detrimental conduct is as follows:

n Scott Fujita (now with the Cleveland Browns) is suspended without pay for the first three games of the 2012 regular season. The record established that Fujita, a linebacker, pledged a significant amount of money to the prohibited pay-for-performance/bounty pool during the 2009 NFL Playoffs when he played for the Saints. The pool to which he pledged paid large cash rewards for "cart-offs" and "knockouts," plays during which an opposing player was injured.

n Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (now with the Green Bay Packers) is suspended without pay for the first eight games of the 2012 regular season. Hargrove actively participated in the program while a member of the Saints. Hargrove submitted a signed declaration to the league that established not only the existence of the program at the Saints, but also that he knew about and participated in it. The evidence showed that Hargrove told at least one player on another team that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was a target of a large bounty during the NFC Championship Game in January of 2010. Hargrove also actively obstructed the league's 2010 investigation into the program by being untruthful to investigators.

n Will Smith of the Saints is suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2012 regular season. Smith, a defensive end, assisted Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in establishing and funding the program during a period in which he was a captain and leader of the defensive unit. Multiple independent sources also confirmed that Smith pledged significant sums to the program pool for "cart-offs" and "knockouts" of opposing players.

n Linebacker Jonathan Vilma of the Saints is suspended without pay for the 2012 NFL season, effective immediately per league policy for season-long suspensions. The investigation concluded that while a captain of the defensive unit Vilma assisted Coach Williams in establishing and funding the program. Multiple independent sources also confirmed that Vilma offered a specific bounty -- $10,000 in cash - to any player who knocked Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner out of the 2009 Divisional Playoff Game and later pledged the same amount to anyone who knocked Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2009 NFC Championship Game the following week (played on January 24, 2010). Vilma is eligible to be reinstated after the Super Bowl in 2013.

Fujita, Hargrove, and Smith may participate in all off-season activity, including preseason games, prior to the suspensions taking effect. Each player disciplined today is entitled to appeal the decision within three days. If an appeal is filed, Commissioner Goodell would hold a hearing at which the player may speak on his behalf and be represented by counsel.

"It is the obligation of everyone, including the players on the field, to ensure that rules designed to promote player safety, fair play, and the integrity of the game are adhered to and effectively and consistently enforced," Commissioner Goodell said. "Respect for the men that play the game starts with the way players conduct themselves with each other on the field."

The evidence conclusively demonstrated that from 2009-2011 Saints players of their own accord pledged significant amounts of their own money toward bounties, that players accepted payments for "cart-offs" and "knockouts" of injured opposing players, and that the payout amounts doubled and tripled for playoff games.

Commissioner Goodell concluded, as he did with the Saints' non-player employees, that it was appropriate to focus on those individuals who had a higher degree of responsibility and whose conduct warranted special attention. While a significant number of players participated in the pay-for-performance program, whether by contributing funds to the pool or collecting cash rewards, the players disciplined participated at a different and more significant level, Commissioner Goodell noted.

"In assessing player discipline," Commissioner Goodell said, "I focused on players who were in leadership positions at the Saints; contributed a particularly large sum of money toward the program; specifically contributed to a bounty on an opposing player; demonstrated a clear intent to participate in a program that potentially injured opposing players; sought rewards for doing so; and/or obstructed the 2010 investigation."

Each of the four players disciplined today met one or more of those criteria, Commissioner Goodell said.

The evidence supporting today's disciplinary decisions is based on extensive documentation and interviews with multiple sources. The information was developed by NFL Security, working with independent forensic analysts, and the disciplinary decisions are each based on evidence that has been independently corroborated by multiple sources. The facts supporting the discipline issued today are largely the same as the facts that Commissioner Goodell relied upon in March in assessing discipline on the club and several non-player employees. Those facts have been part of the public record for two months and have not been disputed by the team or the individuals involved.

"No bounty program can exist without active player participation," Commissioner Goodell said. "The evidence clearly showed that the players being held accountable today willingly and enthusiastically embraced the bounty program. Players put the vast majority of the money into this program and they share responsibility for playing by the rules and protecting each other within those rules."

The NFL Players Association received the confidential March 2 and March 21 reports on the Saints matter that were distributed to the clubs. In addition, members of the NFL staff, including the NFL Security investigators, met with NFLPA officials to review the results of their investigation. A number of current and former players, including each player disciplined today, were offered the opportunity to be interviewed with counsel present. One player (Hargrove) submitted a written statement in which he did not dispute the existence of the program, but no player agreed to be interviewed in person. In addition, the NFLPA publicly stated that it conducted its own investigation into this matter, but it has shared no information from that investigation with the NFL.

Commissioner Goodell also has advised the NFLPA of the names of all other players shown by the NFL's investigation to have participated in the Saints' pay-for-performance/bounty program but were not disciplined. The commissioner again invited the union to provide recommendations on how best to promote fair play, player safety and the elimination of bounties from the game at all levels. He said that identifying the other participants may assist the union in its stated desire to advance those goals.

Discipline for the Saints and club management was announced by the NFL on March 21. The Saints were fined $500,000 and forfeited two second-round draft choices (one in 2012 and one in 2013). In addition, suspensions without pay were issued to former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (indefinitely), head coach Sean Payton (2012 NFL season), general manager Mickey Loomis (first eight regular-season games of 2012), and assistant head coach Joe Vitt (first six regular-season games of 2012).

Raffi Torres Adds to NHL's Playoff Pain

There is a lot of good to have come out of these NHL playoffs so far.

The games have been -- for the most part -- close, dramatic, edge-of-your-seat stuff. Exciting finishes, overtime games, upsets, and some great pace to games. It's enough to keep a hockey fan excited on a nightly basis.

Unfortunately, the controversies are getting close to outweighing everything good that has happened. There have been dirty hits, suspensions, non-suspensions, injuries, non-injuries, and all the like. It's been tough, because the negative attention seems to be all that some (ahem, ESPN) want to heap on the sport, despite everything great that has happened so far.

The latest controversy came Tuesday night in Chicago. Phoenix pest Raffi Torres -- who was featured in a Chicago Sun Times article Tuesday playing dumb about why Blackhawks fans hate his guts -- was at it again, laying an exceptionally dirty and dangerous hit on Chicago forward Marian Hossa.



For a player with a past like Torres, this is as much a request to be suspended for a long time as anyone could possibly concoct.

(Well, unless you're Coyotes TV analyst Tyson Nash, who called it "as clean a hit as you'll ever get." Hey, not everyone on Earth is blessed with vision.)

This is not what the NHL wanted. There have been six suspensions since Sunday, and now you can add at least one more to the list. And it should be the longest.

The three-game ban Chicago's Andrew Shaw got for his hit on Phoenix goalie Mike Smith made me think NHL discipline guy Brendan Shanahan had seen enough. A four-game suspension to Pittsburgh's Arron Asham for his shenanigans Sunday gave me more evidence toward that.

If Torres doesn't get a double-digit suspension, we're back to the drawing board.

Shea Weber Welcomes Brendan Shanahan to Stanley Cup Playoffs

Well, we almost got through the first night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Just when NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan thought he'd get to sleep without incident, Shea Weber introduced Henrik Zetterberg's head to the glass at Bridgestone Arena.

Let's go to the videotape, so to speak.



No question about this one, kids. Even in the playoffs, and even if Zetterberg is healthy enough to play Friday, that's a one-game suspension.

At least it should be.

Shanahan is in his first year as the head of the NHL's Department of Players Not With The Minnesota Wild Safety. He's generally not done a terrible job, as long as the hits in question don't involve the Wild and he's been extremely accessible and open about his decisions, something that his predecessor was unwilling and incapable of doing.

He's going to have to figure something out here. Quick.

This has to be a suspension. In the video, NBC's Jeremy Roenick compared it to a player using a skate as a weapon. Like this.



That was a two-game ban.

Weber should at least sit for Friday's Game 2 against Detroit. If he doesn't sit, one of the league's whiniest fanbases will actually have an argument for a change. Heck, I'll give them license to crab about it all the way to the golf course after Nashville wins the series. ;)

Chiming in on Kyle Rau's Hit

I would have written about this over the weekend, but hockey parenting duties had me away from the computer. Would leave it alone, but I feel compelled to throw out my $.02.

Friday night in Denver, Minnesota freshman Kyle Rau was guilty of a late and high hit on Denver sophomore forward and Wild draft pick Jason Zucker.



Rau was given a five minute major and a game misconduct, which left him eligible to play in Saturday's game.

At least, that was the case until the WCHA took over the case. The league suspended Rau for Saturday's game, won by Denver 4-3 in overtime to complete a sweep (the Pioneers won 5-3 Friday). Zucker didn't play in the game, either, thanks to an upper body injury suffered on the hit.

I honestly don't have a serious problem with Rau being suspended. It's a high hit, a charge, and Zucker had long since released the puck before the contact. Admiring a pass? Maybe, but it's not 1986 anymore.

The issue I brought up with many people on Saturday was precedent.

On Jan. 13, North Dakota forward Danny Kristo was guilty of this hit on Minnesota defenseman Ben Marshall.



Kristo received a five and a game, embarrassed himself with his behavior, and was not suspended by the league. This came despite the recent Jack Jablonski news, and despite video that seems to indicate Kristo's hit was at least on par with Rau's.

At the time, I wrote that the league was missing the boat.

It starts, in this case, with discipline. There is no reason why the WCHA should allow Kristo to play Saturday night. He embarrassed himself and his program with that sophomoric tirade after getting the boot, but before that, he committed a flagrant infraction with a dangerous hit. His follow-through suggests an intent beyond just playing a physical game.

At some point, someone has to get serious about this. With all the talk about hitting from behind all week long -- and at all levels of the game -- how can anyone think this is a clean hit? Not only is it not a clean hit, but at no point in the play is Kristo moving to do anything that would be a clean hit. Marshall didn't turn at the last second. Kristo didn't bump a guy who lost an edge. He plastered a guy from behind, and followed through with a jab to the head as he "finished his check."

In reality, Rau can probably thank Kristo for this suspension. The league couldn't afford to screw up and let a guy get away with no supplemental discipline after another dirty hit. Rau happened to be the most flagrant case available since they missed on suspending Kristo.

As we move into the stretch run, the message has hopefully been sent. Play dirty, and the league will make you pay the price.

If the message hasn't been sent, the league has to commit to trying again. Keep trying until the players get it right.

Brendan Shanahan's Biggest Challenge So Far: Suspend Alex Ovechkin?

Since taking over as the NHL's dean of discipline, there have been a lot of tough decisions for Brendan Shanahan and his group in the Department of Player Safety.

Outside of dropping the ball a couple times -- most notably involving hits on Minnesota Wild players -- Shanahan and his people have done a pretty good job.

But Shanahan's biggest challenge comes Monday, when he has a hearing with Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin over an obviously illegal hit on Pittsburgh defenseman Zbynek Michalek.



No question here. Ovechkin leaves his feet, the head is the principal point of contact, and he's a repeat offender.

It's not going to be easy to suspend a star player, but Shanahan has to make a clear case here that no player is above the law as defined again and again in his suspension videos.

This should be a two-game ban. And, no, it won't affect Ovechkin's status for the All-Star Game this weekend.

Blais Comments on Zombo Suspension

On Tuesday, the WCHA shocked some -- namely me -- by suspending Nebraska Omaha freshman forward Dominic Zombo one game for a kneeing incident during Saturday's game against UMD.

If you were listening to our broadcast, or you follow me on Twitter, you know how upset I was by the hit. Zombo clearly was guilty of a blatant knee-on-knee hit on JT Brown, a hit that probably should have been a five-minute major penalty.

Instead, referees Brad Shepherd and Todd Anderson gave Zombo a two-minute minor penalty for roughing.

(Yes, I know the WCHA said in its statement announcing the suspension that Zombo was penalized for kneeing. But the penalty on Zombo was announced in the arena as roughing, it was posted on the live stats as roughing, and it still appears on the official box score as roughing.)

It was clearly intentional knee-on-knee contact, and a hit similar to one that knocked Vancouver Canucks forward David Booth out of the lineup for over a month. That particular hit led to a four-game suspension for Colorado's Kevin Porter. There is no justification for this hit, and no way to excuse it as some effort to deliver a clean check. It was a dirty play, and one that the WCHA was totally justified in acting on.

Of course, that doesn't mean UNO coach Dean Blais thinks it was all handled properly. Blais told the Omaha World Herald that he felt Brown should have faced discipline, too. No, not for falling down after the hit.

Blais said Tuesday that he doesn't disagree with Zombo's suspension, but that he also wants the WCHA to discipline Brown. According to his players, Blais said Brown flashed an obscene gesture after the second of his three goals in Friday's victory by the top-ranked Bulldogs.

"You suspended Zombo for a hit, OK. Now, what are you going to do with J.T. Brown?" Blais said. "To me, that's worse than the hit."

... "I'm OK with the penalty," Blais said. "And I'm OK with the suspension. But I'm not OK with learning (Monday), in discussing with my team, what had happened.

"It's funny how the hockey gods will punish a player from the night before. Zombo didn't go out looking for the hit on J.T. Brown. It's not a payback. But things have a way of evening out." 

Listen, I respect Blais a great deal. But he's allowed to be dead wrong about something, and he is here.

I don't know if Brown was guilty of an obscene gesture. I didn't see it when I watched the game back on DVR Sunday, but I also wasn't looking for it. I've since deleted the game, because I didn't see any reason to keep it.

While I'd be the first to criticize such behavior -- frankly, I'm not a fan of obscene gestures in any situations -- criticizing the behavior and asking for a suspension are two different things.

I can't imagine the WCHA issuing a one-game suspension to a player guilty of an obscene gesture. Yes, the league endorsed a two-game suspension for North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol that was the result of an obscene gesture the coach made at a referee in 2008. But that was a school-imposed suspension. Of a coach.

If Scott Sandelin flipped off Shepherd and Anderson during the game, I'd be all in favor of suspending him for a game or a weekend series. Coaches should be held to a higher behavioral standard than players.

If Brown did what Blais and his players allege, he should face internal punishment, but not a league-imposed one-game suspension. That's just silly. Are we going to start suspending players who swear at the opposing bench, too?

As for Blais' reference to the hockey gods when it comes to Brown being left in a heap on the ice by an illegal hit ... well, I'd prefer not to dignify it with a remark.

Brendan Shanahan Dropping the Ball

On Nov. 30, impressed with a recent drop-off in NHL suspensions, as well as the general consistency we were seeing with them, I wrote this piece for SB Nation.

It seems so very simple, but it's a complicated and stressful process. Guys like (Brendan) Shanahan, Stephane Quintal, and Rob Blake are not that far removed from playing in the NHL. There are players in the league who know these guys, played with them, and played against them. Just like with their still-unnamed predecessor -- whose last name is also a famous brand of soup (no, not Lipton) -- there are personal biases that must be overcome.

Perhaps these biases will see a stiffer test at some point down the line. Maybe they are missing numerous rules violations that should lead to suspensions. But the fact that we're nearly two months into the season and still haven't heard a ton of complaints from media and fans about an arbitrary and seemingly random disciplinary system tells me that Shanahan and the people around him are doing a good job.

The NHL system was never perfect, before Shanahan or now. But in the last month, it seems that there has been a lot of ball-dropping in the Department of Player Safety. No, Jermichael Finley didn't get hired.

While the league has still issued a few suspensions for illegal conduct during that time, there have been some incidents that have gone mysteriously unpunished.

Yes, many of them involve the Minnesota Wild, and the latest one of those is my primary concern right now. But this is almost certainly a league-wide issue.

Right?

"Monday evening, an incident occured in the game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild. At 5:42 of the first period, Colorado player Cody McLeod delivered an illegal hit to Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon. As a result of the hit, Spurgeon fell face-first into the ledge along the top of the boards. As you can see in the video ..."



Oh, McLeod was not suspended. No hearing. Played in Tuesday's game against Winnipeg like nothing ever happened.

Huh?

This came a couple weeks after Winnipeg defenseman Zach Bogosian escaped a suspension for his hit from behind on Pierre-Marc Bouchard. I still don't like that decision, but this one is much, much worse.

Spurgeon 1) hasn't played the puck and 2) has his back to McLeod the entire play. McLeod 1) makes no effort to minimize the contact, actually skating through the hit, and 2) is making no effort to play the puck. He's simply trying to blow Spurgeon up, which was apparently the Avalanche game plan Monday.

This is a textbook illegal hit and a suspension. Yes, McLeod received a game misconduct and a major penalty, but Spurgeon left the game, did not return, and is out for the Wild's game at Nashville Wednesday, if not longer.

I hate to keep bringing up the asinine suspension Pierre-Marc Bouchard got for an accidental high-stick to the face, but Shanahan can't tell us then that a player is responsible for his stick and the consequences of an illegal act like swinging said stick at someone, then keep silent when a player cross-checks a guy in the back, causing a broken nose. Worse, he then stays silent when a player checks a guy from behind (having never seen anything but the numbers on that player's back) and causes an injury.

Shanahan spent the first two months of the season suspending based on injuries more than actions or intent. Now, it seems he wants to change his tune, which makes him more like Colin Campbell than any of us ever wanted him to be.

Zach Bogosian Non-Suspension Ludicrous

So the NHL has decided not to suspend Winnipeg Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian for his hit on Minnesota's Pierre-Marc Bouchard Tuesday night.

Player Safety Dept. feels that Bogosian did not run at Bouchard and that Bouchard turned just prior to the hit.  

Okay.

So if Bouchard doesn't turn, and Bogosian cross-checks him in the face, breaking Bouchard's nose in the process, is that somehow a clean and legal hockey play?

Watch it again.



Tell me this is a clean and legal hockey play if Bouchard doesn't get hit in the back.

IT'S A CROSS CHECK.

One that would have been high enough to hit Bouchard in the face or neck had he not turned around. How the hell is this not worthy of anything more than a one-minute penalty (there was only 1:06 left)?

As Mike Johnson says here on the TSN broadcast, and I fully acknowledge this is true, Bogosian tried to hold up. He didn't follow through or run through Bouchard. That's fine.

But did Bouchard really try to high-stick Matt Calvert in the face here?



We were told at the time that Bouchard was responsible for his own stick, and that it didn't matter that Calvert lifted Bouchard's stick into his own face.

Despite that, it somehow matters that Bouchard turned before being cross-checked into the dasher boards, a play that would have been dangerous no matter what body part Bogosian hit.

I don't get the logic, and all this does is feed the growing perception among Wild fans that the Department of Player Safety is -- for some unknown reason -- showing bias against the Wild.

(It sounds preposterous, but look at the way the NHL handled Kevin Porter's knee-on-knee hit on David Booth versus how it handled Ryan Whitney's knee-on-knee hit on Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck, by the way, was indeed injured on the play. Worth noting.)

Matt Cooke is Trevor Gillies With More Skill

Sunday's nationally-televised Rangers-Penguins game was marred by an incident involving -- yeah, you guessed it -- Pittsburgh agitator and cheap-shot artist Matt Cooke.

The victim this time was former Wisconsin and Rangers rookie defenseman Ryan McDonagh.



McDonagh stayed in the game, but that doesn't mean anything. Concussion symptoms often pop up after the fact, which is precisely why the NHL's long-standing method of suspending based on injuries suffered is just stupid.

Anyway, Cooke was penalized and kicked out of the game, and he has an in-person hearing with the NHL Monday, at which the hammer should be dropped on the longtime troublemaker.

There simply is no excuse for Cooke anymore. Not for a shot like this, which is a direct shot targeting the head of an unsuspecting opponent.

At least, I think it's reasonable to suggest McDonagh was unsuspecting. After all, in today's NHL, why would he think even Matt Cooke is dumb enough to elbow someone in the head on national television?

Even Penguins coach Dan Bylsma was irked.

"I don't think you can talk about eliminating headshots as an organization and not expect that to be examined," coach Dan Bylsma said. "It looks to be contact right to the head. The league will look at that at treat it as such."

Ten games is a starting point for Cooke. That's how many games the Penguins have in the regular season. If the NHL wants to finally start sending a message to repeat offenders, they'll find the right thing to do here is suspend Cooke for the playoffs, too. No matter how far Pittsburgh goes.

No excuses this time.

This is a repeat offender, and there was no effort made to mask this one.

Say goodbye, Matt Cooke.

Zdeno Chara Faces Likely Suspension; Should He?

A horrifying hit took center stage on a busy night in the NHL Tuesday.

The Boston-Montreal rivalry heated up with a high-scoring, fight-filled affair earlier this season. While Tuesday's game was relatively tame, both in terms of goals scored and fights happening, there was an awful incident towards the end of the second period that will lead to plenty of discussion, debate, yelling, and probably a suspension for one of the league's more visible players.

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara is likely going to be suspended after this hit on Montreal forward Max Pacioretty (video from NHL.com via Puck Daddy).



Chara received a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct, which simply postponed his inevitable fight for the teams' next meeting, which is Mar. 24 in Boston.

Pacioretty was stretchered off the ice, but was said to have movement of his extremities when he left the arena. That's good, though we don't know the extent of any injuries he may have suffered.

In the meantime, the NHL has a tough decision to make. Boston's next game is Thursday against Buffalo, and you can bet on the big defenseman not being eligible to play.

Let's get something out of the way. Only an idiot would think Zdeno Chara was trying to send Max Pacioretty to the hospital. I know a few people out there -- generally not fans of the Boston Bruins -- probably think Chara is a dirty player, one who takes the occasional liberties and sometimes hits guys in the head.

Of course, Chara is a physical player, which by definition means he will sometimes take liberties with guys. He's almost always the biggest guy on the ice, so he's almost always hitting players who are smaller. And when you're tall with long arms and bigger than everyone else, you have to be ultra-careful at all times to make sure you aren't hitting guys high, using your elbows, or looking like a dirty player.

Frankly, I think given everything, Chara does a pretty damn good job of being effective and physical without constantly crossing the line or even really making it look like he does.

He wasn't trying to knock Pacioretty out. He was trying to knock him out of the play. That simple.

However, Chara should (and probably will) be held responsible for the end result.

If you look at how the game of hockey rules on hits these days, it typically doesn't matter if a player puts himself in a vulnerable position. It matters that the player is in a vulnerable position. Here is an example of a hit where the aggressor was not in any way trying to injure the player he hit, and had virtually no control over the final circumstances.

Brad Malone made no attempt to break Jesse Martin's neck. He was trying to finish his check, but Martin lost the puck and put his head down to find it. Combine those two things, and you have a near-tragic outcome that was awful for everyone.

Honestly, this is probably a poor example, because you could argue that if either of these two hits was malicious in any way, it was Chara's.

As noted by Michael Russo, it was a "reckless, needless hit, no puck ... I don't buy he didn't know where he was."

Chara might not have known he was that close to the partition/turnbuckle/whatever you want to call it, but part of his duty as an aggressive player is to 1) know who/what he is hitting, and 2) know where he is hitting that player.

Even if he can successfully argue that he had no idea the partition/turnbuckle that is in every NHL arena in the same spot happened to be near where he was hitting Pacioretty, the league will tell him it's his duty to have at least a basic understanding of what will happen upon contact with an opposing player.

To be blunt, this understanding is what separates players like Zdeno Chara from players like Trevor Gillies. Chara avoids suspensions for his hits because he typically avoids the kind of hit he threw Tuesday. Gillies can't avoid suspensions because he's not a hockey player and has no inkling of an understanding of player safety.

If you have a guy whose head is down and back is to the boards, you have to understand that hitting that player could send him head-first into the boards. That might have been a cool visual in 1991, but it doesn't work anymore.

If you don't have that understanding, you either avoid making the hit or prepare to pay the price for the hit. And pray you don't break someone's neck in the process.

I'm not going to call Chara a dirty player, because I don't believe he is. But he's smarter than he showed Tuesday, and the league will make sure he understands that going forward.

Trevor Gillies Is a Piece of Garbage

After serving a nine-game suspension for his antics in a Penguins-Islanders game that got out of control a few weeks ago, New York's Trevor Gillies returned to the lineup Wednesday night for the Islanders' game against the Minnesota Wild.

Did we see a new Gillies? Would he show some respect to the game and his opponents, or continue to be a worthless, skill-less hack with no redeeming qualities as a hockey player outside of his ability to hold his own in a fight?

Gillies chose Option B.



Was Cal Clutterbuck guilty of a penalty? Yes.

That's why the officials called one.

Gillies, of course, can't just let that be enough. He decided to hit Clutterbuck in the head, then made it clear after the game that he just doesn't get it.

"I went over and finished my hit. There was no intent to injure him. That's it. I didn't think it was from behind at all. I hit him from the side."

If the only thing required to make a hit not dirty was "don't hit him from behind," we wouldn't have a problem here.

But you're not allowed to target an opponent's head, whether you hit him in the back, side, or front.

The only thing worse than a dirty hockey player is a dirty hockey player who pretends to have no understanding of why everyone thinks he's dirty.

Gillies might have that understanding, but he doesn't display it here.

I'm not going to sit here and say the guy should be kicked out of the NHL. If some team in the league is stupid enough to pay Gillies a salary to be nothing more than a piece of trash and a stain on his team and the sport, then so be it.

But Gillies sat nine games, then came back and pulled this crap in his first game off the suspension. The Islanders have 17 games left. If the league wants to send a strong message about this behavior, Gillies won't be eligible to play in any of them.

Rick Rypien About to Meet His NHL Maker

The NHL has only a perceived image problem. The league is mocked in many circles because it only penalizes players five minutes for fighting, and that's just a way to glorify the fisticuffs. People make fun of hockey because it doesn't have great television ratings, even when the sport finds a way to beat out important events happening in baseball.

Part of the issue is that ESPN only talks about hockey when something bad happens.

So thanks, Rick Rypien, for giving ESPN something to talk about.

Rypien reached into the stands to grab a fan at Tuesday's game in St. Paul, where the Canucks were manhandled by the Wild, 6-2.

Perhaps Rypien was upset over losing a first-period fight to Wild enforcer Brad Staubitz.

Maybe he was ticked because the officials stepped in to prevent him from fighting Staubitz near the Wild bench.

It could have been that Rypien just didn't like that he could only get one cheap punch in on Staubitz before the two were fully separated.

No matter what, Rypien is about to face the music from the NHL. Here's the video.



Senseless, stupid, selfish, and completely out of control, Rypien didn't play again in the game -- a smart and classy move by the otherwise clueless Alain Vigneault, who acted after the game like he didn't know what happened, and who continues to start Roberto Luongo in games at the XCel Energy Center, despite an obvious hex on the otherwise All-World goalie.

Listen: There are things that could be said in defense of Rypien. Perhaps the X isn't constructed perfectly, getting the fans too close to the action. Perhaps that particular fan said something about Rypien's family that isn't fit for broadcast or publication.

But there is no excusing what the player did in this instance. There are zero circumstances where it is okay for a player to get physical with a fan like that. None. Not one.

When Packer safety Nick Collins threw his mouthguard into the stands and got into a shouting match with a fan who allegedly shouted racial slurs and spit at him, Collins could have (perhaps should have) at least been fined by the league.

In this case, there is nothing that indicates Rypien was provoked by spit. Or grabbing. Or anything but noise.

That can't be excused, and the NHL will not allow Rypien to skate (pun intented) from this incident. He's going to face a heavy punishment, and he should.

It's not about sending a message to players. There hasn't been a documented player-fan incident that got physical since 2000. No one is worried about this becoming a trend. Instead, a suspension is all about public relations.

This is going to send a message to the world that the NHL won't allow its fans to be accosted by players. They're not going to stand idly as players get too aggressive in their off-ice behavior.

Of course, no one who follows the game needs to be told this, but that doesn't mean the league won't try to make its point loud and clear.

I expect a 15-20 game ban, even though I'm not convinced it really needs to be more than ten.

If Rypien doesn't like it, perhaps he'll think twice before reaching out to grab a fan. Of course, he'll do that, anyway. Oh, well.

Before I wrap this up, here is the Canucks TV video of the incident.



Hilarious. There's being a homer, and there's being a blind homer. Remember, those two things are on completely different levels.

NHL Fails at First 'Wheel of Justice' Spin

The first major rules infractions of the season took place Monday in separate games. The NHL's vaunted Wheel of Justice got its first test.

Naturally, it was a rather embarrassing failure.

Let's look at the videotape. First up, a Monday afternoon incident in New York involving Islander James Wisniewski and Ranger agitator Sean Avery. This might be considered NSFW in some circles.



Hard to argue that this isn't a smart thing for an NHL player to do. Of course, NHL players do dumb stuff all the time and they don't get suspended.

Keep that in mind. Here is a hit by Chicago's Niklas Hjalmarsson Monday night on Buffalo Sabre Jason Pominville.



With the heavy emphasis on headshots, this is an automatic suspension.

Both players -- Wisniewski and Hjalmarsson -- got two-game suspensions.

Huh?

I get that not all crimes are equal. Just because they draw equal suspensions doesn't mean the league thinks they were even-up on the scale of sin.

Of course, that isn't how things look. How stupid does the NHL look to the Average Joe when they dole out idiotically equal suspensions in cases like this?

Oh, by the way, let's not forget that Sean Avery once got six games for a sex joke.

I guess that means that sex joke > phallic gesture = blatant headshot.

Disappointing.

Braves Pitcher Wins Appeal After Throwing at Prince Fielder

Baseball's system for appealing suspensions is pretty stupid. Players can keep playing for what can sometimes be weeks while Major League Baseball drags their feet on hearing an appeal. Rarely are suspensions revoked completely, though they often will reduce the time a player has to sit out.

In the case of Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Jonny Venters, it seemed like a pretty simple case. Venters was involved in an incident July 17 against the Milwaukee Brewers. I'd show you video, but Major League Baseball thinks it's still 1954, and they won't allow people to embed game video.

To sum it up, Venters apparently got confused, thinking that home plate doubled as Prince Fielder's backside. The first pitch went over his head, and the second one hit him in the back.

Did I mention that it was 6-3 at the time in favor of the Brewers, and they had been knocking the Braves around for a couple straight nights?

Baseball initially decided this was intentional, and they suspended Venters for four games. Upon further review, there was apparently nothing wrong with Venters' behavior.

In what could be one of the dumbest things MLB has done in years, Venters' suspension was revoked Friday.

Gone.

Not reduced.

Gone.

From four games to zero.

Why?

It’s common for suspensions to be reduced, but not thrown out entirely. The decision came from John McHale Jr., Major League Baseball’s executive vice president of administration. Manager Bobby Cox, who participated in Tuesday’s hearing, was thrilled with the ruling.

“It was not intentional,” he said of the incident with Fielder. “It was completely accidental.”

During the 90-minute hearing., Venters and several Braves officials spoke, including general manager Frank Wren, Cox and pitching coach Roger McDowell.

“I just kind of explained what happened,” Venters said, “that I understood why we were there, how it looked, but that I’m not that kind of player. Guys who know me know I’m not that kind of player.”

The team’s video coordinator showed other errant pitches Venters threw this season, in situations where there would clearly have been no intent to throw at batters. Cox said Venters had hit more than 30 batters in his pro career, all but one left-handed (Fielder bats left-handed).

“That’s just the way I miss, the way the ball [travels],” Venters said.

Venters and Cox were both ejected after Venters hit Fielder in the back with a sinking fastball in the eighth inning. The ejections came after the home-plate umpire issued a warning following the pitch before, a slider over Fielder’s head.

This should serve as a lesson for pitchers all over baseball.

If you want to get away with throwing at hitters, simply fling a few wild pitches here and there, then loop some video of them together when you get in trouble.

Baseball's brass actually believes Venters happened to miss high and tight with consecutive pitches ... and it happened to be against one of the opponent's best power hitters, who had happened to hit a bomb in his previous at-bat.

It's a joke.

We saluted Brewers manager Ken Macha for finally getting pissed off enough to say something last week, but this is one of those moments where we wish we still had Ned Yost to kick around. No way Ned allows his guys to be thrown at as much as Fielder and Rickie Weeks have been this season. It's ridiculous that they get plunked this much, but it's even worse that it took so long for Macha to finally take his frustration public.

What's even more ridiculous is that baseball continues to make mind-boggling decisions that fly against player safety.

Want to throw at hitters' heads? Go ahead, as long as you've been wild before, so your video guy can spend way too much time putting together a defense tape.