Since Paul brought up Ryan Ellis and the fact that he is still out. When will the NHL change the rules with the... "punishment to fit the crime rule". So Perry gets a 5 game suspension and to date has played more than 10 games after his punishment, while Ellis still sits. Maybe the new rule should be the offending player sits till the injured player can play? This also wasn't just a body check situation. This was an elbow to the jaw. So maybe the rule should state anything above the shoulders gets this type of punishment ?
- wrister
I agree for the most part, especially when there's a clear and malicious intent to injure another player. I'd call out the Bortuzzo/Arvy situation more than Ellis/Perry, because that was a non-hockey play and Bozo clearly only had one intention on his mind. Perry's hit was in the heat of the play, and you more-or-less assume intent with him because he's Corey freakin' Perry and lost his right to the benefit of the doubt years ago. I love the idea, but it'll never happen for a couple of reasons... One, accidents happen, and not all head shots are intentional. Sometimes guys turn the wrong way, and you just can't stop your momentum. There will never be blanket justice across the league because the NHL isn't going to suspend McDavid or Ovechkin for three months because they accidentally caught somebody in the jaw with their elbow and gave them a concussion. I'd love to see something like this implemented for repeat offenders and situations where in the intent to injure is clear, but it's unlikely... Intent is a hard thing to interpret at times, and sometimes it's not... (Like kicking at somebody with your skate, or cross checking them in the throat)
