Welts & Suspensions

So, first, I want to thank Rob and Shaky for keeping this site alive over the past few months. I wanted this site to become more than just a blog for the playoffs, but I haven't been keeping up my end of the bargain. As we approach the second season, it seems that I have more to say about the goings on in the NHL.

Today, for example, we found out that Chris Simon was handed a hefty suspension (25 games plus the playoffs) for his vicious chop to the face of Ranger Ryan Hollweg. This, in my view, is fair. What I don't get, however, is how Cam Janssen of the Devils got away with only 3 games for an act that I consider as just as vicious on Toronto's Tomas Kaberle.

Now, many will argue to the contrary. After all, as I've heard it already, the Jansen hit was just a late bodycheck. He, according to some, simply took the concept of "finishing his check" a little too far and the results were disastrous. Bullshit.

I've watched and played hockey for 30 years and the concept of "finishing a check" is well known to me. It's a fairly simple concept. If a player has already begun the motion of checking an opposing player, he is allowed to follow through even after the opposing player has gotten rid of the puck. There is, of course, a timing element to the concept. The "motion" cannot last for more than 2 or 3 seconds.

In the case of the Janssen hit, he clearly pursued Kaberle for quite some time after the Toronto player had passed the puck. Janssen had the intention of chasing Kaberle down regardless of the fact that he had the puck or not. To me, this is an intent to injure and it is just as vicious as the Chris Simon slash.

I understand, however, that the length of the Simon suspension is based on the fact that he has a record of suspensions and that Colin Cambell took this fact into consideration. Nevertheless, 3 games for the Janssen hit is, in my view, not enough.