DETROIT — There is an understandable amount of gray area in every rule book. But what is absolutely confounding about the NHL’s discipline policy is that there is no standardization for supplemental punishment.
So the definition of a slash can be left up to the interpretation of the officials. To some extent, so can the idea of targeting the head of another player.
But once it is established that there is a headshot worthy of a review from the Department of Player Safety (DOPS), how are there not public guidelines for how to implement that punishment? How is it that everyone waits to hear the length of the suspension with bated breath, with the guesses varying from two games to 20? That is a big difference.
This comes to light because one of the league’s perennial perpetrators, Zac Rinaldo, did his best to seriously injure an opponent for the umpteenth time in his career. This time it was a horrifying sucker punch on Dec. 23 to Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard (part of the Matt Duchene trade), a punch thrown because Rinaldo said he thought Girard wanted to fight him after he hit Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon.
The head of the DOPS, former enforcer George Parros, said that after a hearing, they “accept Rinaldo’s explanation,” and thus suspended him only six games.
“While we understand that confrontations happen in the heat of the moment and escalate quickly, the onus remains on the player throwing the punch to ensure that he is facing a willing combatant,” Parros said. “Otherwise, the player may be subject to on-ice or supplemental discipline.”
Isn’t that insane, that it needs to be explained there has to be a willing combatant? And whether you believe Rinaldo’s explanation — I don’t — there should be a standard for this sort of thing. Say, first-time offender with something like this, five games. Same for what can be deemed a brutal targeted headshot. That is something the Players’ Association should get behind and get negotiated right away before the next CBA. This way, everyone knows what’s at stake.
Where the league has no reason not to be incredibly strict is on repeat offenders. These are the goons who patrol the ice with an antiquated sense of necessary revenge. Alarmingly, this was Rinaldo’s fifth NHL suspension — that to go along with his five in the AHL and five in the OHL. In a career that spans 306 career NHL contests, he has been suspended for more games (25) than he has career goals (11).
As our friend Ken Campbell at The Hockey News has written more than once: “It’s a good thing the NHL has guys like Zac Rinaldo around to protect people from guys like Zac Rinaldo.”
So why are guys like Rinaldo allowed in the league? Why isn’t there a standard punishment like there is for steroids — first major offense, five games; second, 20; third, 50. From there, if you haven’t learned the lesson that you can’t attack people’s heads, you shouldn’t be in the league. It’s that simple.
Listen, there are times when mistakes happen. Players go into the corner and really don’t mean to plow the other guy’s head into the glass. But after a five-game suspension, they’re going to think twice about it. After 20 games? Well, heck, you might actually see a decrease in headshots! But thinking that any looming arbitrary punishment is going to be a deterrent is woefully illogical.
That thinking is how you end up with things such as a player like Rinaldo getting a six-game suspension after a similar attack to that of Todd Bertuzzi on Steve Moore. Thankfully, Girard was OK. Steve Moore never played again. And the league is letting things like this happen because there is no structure in place for players to know what to expect in terms of punishment. It’s a quick fix, and there’s no reason not to do it immediately.
Goodbye, Bower
I only knew of Johnny Bower, the Hall of Fame goalie the Rangers traded in 1957 and who went on to win two Vezina Trophies and the Stanley Cup four times with the Maple Leafs — including their most recent in 1967 — before retiring in 1970. Bower died on Tuesday at the age of 93, so I went back and looked up what I could find. Now I share. Boy, how much fun it is to watch goaltenders’ form back then? Just so different, and so less predictable — thanks in large part to Bower’s signature poke check.
Trade Revision
So I wrote that the Islanders have the assets to aggressively pursue Erik Karlsson — and I still believe that. But in retrospect, the template offer was woefully short to obtain someone as good as Karlsson (who still is not on the trade market — yet). And thinking about how to fit all the money under the cap with a new contract for John Tavares is complicated.
I also reported that the Islanders have made rookie Mathew Barzal a non-starter in any deal, so if that remains (which it should), then how about Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Ho-Sang — and/or Ryan Pulock — plus a first-rounder and two conditional seconds? Is that a better template to start from? Who knows, but I’m fine admitting the first swipe at it was way short.
Phishing on Broadway
A reminder from The Garden’s guest organist Wednesday night, Chad Dinzes, that the band Phish has now begun their annual takeover under the famed carousel ceiling through New Year’s Eve. The recommendation is either get there, or get far away. Thanks to Chad for the quick flashback — and where do you go when the lights go out?
Stay tuned …
… to the World Juniors. The tournament that started on Boxing Day is in full swing now up in Buffalo — where, for some reason, the semi-Canadian city is not filling the two rinks yet. Just wait until the USA and Canada play the outdoor game Friday afternoon at New Era Field (home of the Bills). That should be a scene almost as good as the Winter Classic between the Rangers and Sabres at Citi Field on Jan. 1.
Either way, there are a ton of local prospects to check in on, starting with the Rangers’ Filip Chytil (Czech) and Lias Andersson (Sweden). The Islanders are most locked into Kiefer Bellows (USA), while the Devils have a NHL-high seven players, most notably two captains: American Joey Anderson and Russian Yegor Zaitsev. It’s a great tournament with great emotion, and worth flipping on NHL Network for.
Parting shot
Just a ludicrous assist from Connor McDavid, made even cooler by the view from Ref Cam. It’s strangely hypnotic on a loop. Oh, and if you don’t know — and not sure how that’s possible — the indelible GIF-maker @myregularface, also known as Steph, was finally hired by the NHL, and now posts under the name below. Enjoy.