45 Points in 34 Games…Is That Good?
Well, yes.
In ’74, the Kings had 47 points (18-5-11) and, in ’80, they had 47 points (22-9-3). Those are the only two seasons that beat or equal the Kings’ current record of 21-10-3. Oh, and they’re officially first in the West and 2nd overall. (Philadelphia — they of the quickie rebuild of two seasons ago — are now tied with Toronto for 28th overall. I bring up Philly because so many fans pointed to them as an example of how you can suck one year and “rebuild” in one summer. I guess, in a word, not.)
IllegalCurve.com » Blog Archive » Morning Papers Take: Hurricane season is over
Simply, the Hurricanes are done. The team has recorded seven points in fourteen games, just lost their best forward for two-to-four weeks and have lost ten straight games. With 68 games remaining in the Canes’ season, the team would have to go 43-25 (not counting overtime losses) to reach last season’s playoff threshold (93 points for the Habs). That means, the Hurricanes would have to win 63% of the team’s remaining games.
You know what they say about the Stanley Cup, you can’t win it in October, but you sure can lose it. The Hurricanes are evidence of just that.
via IllegalCurve.com » Blog Archive » Morning Papers Take: Hurricane season is over.
LA Kings Mayor (mayor119) on Twitter
SJSharks Captain Rob Blake is a team worst MINUS 6. Nothing says leader like leading from the bottom. Well, that & being Captain by default.
via LA Kings Mayor (mayor119) on Twitter.
I believe this is called reverting to the mean.
Sharks Don’t Hate Kings Enough
Puck Daddy: You would definitely hate the Ducks more than you’d hate the Kings, right?
Pavelski: Yeah, definitely.
But really isn’t there hate enough to go around? Hopefully we can change that this year, Joe.
“As of now, nobody’s our captain,” says Coach Todd McLellan — plus training camp dates | Working the Corners
Patrick Marleau’s jersey no longer has a C on it.“As of now,” Coach Todd McLellan said Monday, “nobody’s our captain.”
From Battle of California: More on Doug Wilson
Undoubtedly BoC is already in your blog aggregator, but I’m clipping out this bit anyway, since it’s so true and so much fun to contemplate:
Whatever trade options GM Doug Wilson may have had at the draft (and we can only speculate there) are now fairly diminished. How it affects the Sharks going forward? Remains to be seen.
Still, it was only one summer ago that the Ducks sat in the Sharks’ position — over the salary cap ceiling with most of the league’s summer spending done, trying to unload a useful veteran in Mathieu Schneider. While Schneidermayer carried a significant salary for one more season, he had demonstrated an ability to outscore easy competition and was a useful power play pointman — I initially thought there’d be a hefty return for a year of his service. But as “spending” summer turned to ”waiting” summer, the value of Schneider did shift substantially. Nobody was out to do Brian Burke any cap-managing favors, and Atlanta finally bailed out the Ducks with just days to spare. The return? Ken Klee — played 3 games for the Ducks before being shipped to Phoenix (where the Ducks still paid half his salary). Brad Larsen — never played for the Ducks, having an eternal injury of some sort. Chad Painchaud — I’ve never even heard of this guy; frankly it sounds made-up.
My point being — it’s not fun to be in the ”shed salary” position at this point in the offseason — certainly we’re nearing the point where optimistic trade returns may be out of the picture. Now it’s entirely possible that Doug Wilson has more friends in the GM circles than Brian Burke did, and San Jose is still a great team with a lot of superstars — I don’t think the Sharks are screwed by any means. But the later this summer prolongs, the less bargaining power Wilson is likely to have — could be that the Sharks have to give away players for junk at some point.
via Battle of California – Takes and trash talk from all sides of the NHL’s most pathetic rivalry.
Havlat speaks out on Tallon demotion – From The Rink
Martin Havlat is now a member of the Wild but being spurned by the Blackhawks on July 1 has clearly left him with a bit of a grudge. This afternoon on his Twitter account, he offered some somewhat cryptic comments on the fact the Bowmans have taken over after Dale Tallon was forced out of the GM seat in Chicago.
“I guess everyone saw what happened to Dale…. yes, the story is starting to come out but it’s just the tip of the iceberg,” he wrote at about 1:30 p.m. today.
Two minutes later, Havlat offered: “Lot’s of people are telling me to stay quiet but shouldn’t the fans know the truth? It’s your loyalty, season ticket money and emotions here.”
And, then, finally: “What do you people think? Interested to know your thoughts.”
That’s all he’s said to this point, but maybe that’s enough. It’s easy to infer that, when Havlat wasn’t offered more than a one-year contract, he feels it wasn’t Tallon’s doing — despite the fact he was then the GM.
KuklasKorner: Hab Fail
What can’t be argued is that the Habs chewed threw the one valuable resource they possessed – cap space – and failed to land the franchise-defining player they’ve lacked for years.
By the time they take care of their RFAs, the Canadiens will be pushing up against the cap, yet still without a big No. 1 center or stud defenseman in their midst.
From (the great) Matthew Barry: I Loved All The Things That DIDN’T Happen!
1) Tavares – So Dreger and the Union Leader and almost everyone else on XM204 was saying Duchene was going first – THAT didn’t happen and it didn’t seem like there was ever any doubt it was Tavares.
Dreger – so plugged in, and yet…
2) Brian Burke’s failure to move up – yes, he good a great draft pick and that was a CLASSIC sound byte of him telling Bryan Murray “we’re taking your guy” – but what I loved even more was the look on his face when the Kings took Schenn.
What’s extra funny was that it was obvious even before I heard about the sound byte that this is exactly what he was doing. You don’t usually get a quote — much less an exact quote — and MUCH MUCH less a sound byte of an exact quote — of what would normally be a “photoshop a caption” moment. Also, I agree completely, the shot of Burke after Schenn was selected was like a Saturday Night Live parody.
3) As Ek mentioned, JayBo didn’t move – Vinny didn’t move – Jack Johnson and Alex Frolov are still Kings. Every time Bettman said “we have a trade” it was for draft picks. THAT’S HOW IT SHOULD BE – It was about the DRAFT and not trading players.
4) Flyers fans weren’t given a box of chocolates after being used, abused, and pounded like a slab of veal. FOUR first round picks???? FOUR for Pronger???? That’s just NUTS!!!!! The price just went UP, UP, UP on Heater and every other talented player. If you’re going to pay 4 1st rounders for a guy with 1 year left on his contract and will be on the other side of 35, what’s Heater and Gaborik and Hossa and all of the others worth?
I don’t think it’s going to inflate anything, for the simple reason that, in Heatley’s case, Murray is over a barrel, and the UFAs have to find someone with cap room, which is a rare commodity and getting rarer all the time. Also, to state the obvious, Philly is (probably) out of the UFA market.
Okay, okay, take it easy, I know Lupul was a complete salary dump and I’ll be so happy not to see Prongers stupid grin in the West anymore, but still, Sbisa and 2 first rounders is still a serious price to pay – Now, tell me, now that you ADDED a million dollars to payroll, who gets dumped next?
At least six million worth of somebody.
via HockeyBuzz.com – Matthew Barry – I Loved All The Things That DIDN’T Happen! .
Ducks GM Accused of Cross-Checking Fan
While the players were on the ice exchanging handshakes, high above in an executive suite Ducks General Manager Bob Murray was seething over the controversial goal that ended his team’s quest for the Stanley Cup.
A Detroit Police report lead to an assault investigation involving Murray. An upset and angry Murray, the report notes, picked up a high bar stool and hit 55-year-old Rachel Paris on the left chest, arm and shoulder area. She was treated by first aid personnel and interviewed by police.
Paris said in a phone interview she was in the press box working as a stage manager for a media outlet that she would not identify. A passionate Red Wings fan, Paris said Murray was apparently upset over her enthusiasm and used a stool on her to express his displeasure.
“I was taken to the boards by Bob Murray and survived the hit. I felt like I was cross-checked and I didn’t even have the puck,” said Paris.
Should Murray be charged with a criminal misconduct? Paris said “no” and declined to file a formal police complaint.
Puck Daddy — Eulogy: Remembering the 2008-09 Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are gone, and all we are left with is questions. Why did it happen so suddenly? Should we have seen it coming? Why is it impossible to find a single hockey fan, outside of British Columbia, that feels the slightest bit of warmth towards them?
Will their passing hit loved ones particularly hard, given the uncertainty it creates going forward? The Sedin Crania, surely their two best skaters, will either be gone, or their return will prohibit the acquisition of much else.
That mega-bust Mats Sundin(notes) (3-5-8 in eight playoff games played, by the way) is outta here, he’s a dot, he’s gone.
And speaking of that: What will become of Bobby Lou? If he enters the final season of his contract without an extension in place, he’ll be the subject of media harassment and annoyance that will far surpass the eye-glazing Sundin/Leafs/NTC saga of Winter 2007/08.
Friendless, greenhorn GM Mike Gillis will be overseeing the autopsy, and thus far in his short career, has mostly resisted external pressure to do something for its own sake. Will he have the sack to keep holding out, especially given that his tubby predecessor took a bullet for sitting on his thumb? In fact, are we sure he knows what he’s doing at all, or was the patience actually first-day jitters, and now he’s going to start dealing like Doug MacLean?
It says here that the Canucks have twin issues, and I don’t mean the two guys who just made Alex Burrows(notes) rich. The first is that their forward depth stinks like last month’s garbage.
Darcy Hordichuk(notes), Ryan Johnson(notes), Pyatt, Bernier, Raymond, Rypien; whatever intangible qualities they possess produced tangibly crappy results pretty much all year long.
Where have you gone, Matt Cooke(notes) and Jarkko Ruutu(notes)?
And the second is that they have an average-ish defense corps all being paid like they’re indispensable. Kevin Bieksa(notes) is a poor man’s Roman Hamrlik(notes); Alex Edler is a poor man’s Michal Roszival; Matthias Ohlund is a poor man’s 2004 Matthias Ohlund; and Willie Mitchell(notes) is basically Rob Scuderi(notes), but with a long history of playing in front of good goalies.
Actually, would putting Willie Mitchell on the next one-way flight to the Reggie Cleveland Hall of Fame entice Roberto Luongo(notes) to re-sign? Surely I’m not the only one who’s noticed that for every ten times Louie ends up underneath an opposing forward, eight are the result of Willie Mitchell sending a message with a hard crosscheck (message = “Here, have a free tumble onto my All-Star goalie.”)
In retrospect, how funny was the Vancouver Province’s “Send us your Parade Route” gimmick, given that the Canucks managed only 2 of the 12 subsequent wins necessary?
via Eulogy: Remembering the 2008-09 Vancouver Canucks – Puck Daddy – NHL – Yahoo! Sports.
Pot Meet Kettle: Ducks Say Wings are (wait for it) Dirty! (GASP!)
Anaheim accused Tomas Holmstrom of delivering a dirty elbow to the head of James Wisniewski after he had been injured by a puck to the chest Tuesday in Game 3. They said Johan Franzen cross-checked Scott Niedermayer in the back of the neck.
The Red Wings’ response essentially was this: Quit your whining.
“From my perspective, come on, it’s like a rodeo after every whistle,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “So there could be a penalty after every single whistle. If you think Homer was saying, ‘That guy got hurt on the play and now I’m going to elbow him in the head?’ Come on. That’s not how hockey is.
“Let’s play the game, let’s play hard. It’s a hard series. There’s lots of skin flying around out there. It’s entertaining.”
Wisniewski might not play tonight in Game 4 because of a lung contusion, which Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said wasn’t helped by Holmstrom’s hit during the same sequence in the second period.
“What would you think if you were (doubled) over and gasping for air and somebody gives you an elbow to the side of the head?” Carlyle said. “How would you feel about that?”
Ducks defenseman Ryan Whitney said the hit “looked dirty.”
“I don’t know if he meant to do it, but he comes around and smokes him in the face with his elbow,” Whitney said. “It definitely wasn’t a clean blow.”
Holmstrom said it wasn’t intentional.
“I didn’t know that I hit him at all,” he said. “I didn’t see him, I had no idea he was behind me. I had two guys on my back. Unfortunately, he had his face there.”
Niedermayer said of Franzen’s cross-check: “I don’t think it’s legal. Is it out of the norm? I don’t know.”
Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart said those kind of plays happen all the time in an intense series.
“First shift, second period, (Ryan) Carter smashed my head against the boards. No call,” Stuart said. “To sit here and whine about it doesn’t do any good. Both teams are getting away with stuff. That’s how it is.”
Said Detroit’s Dan Cleary: “All the extra stuff — the elbows, the cross-checks — they’re no strangers to that either.”
Kukla’s Corner agrees with me; presumably everyone does
If you haven’t seen it, you will. The officiating in this league is the most pathetic of anything just south of professional wrestling. But the league’s healthier than ever, eh Gary? Is this how you want your playoff games decided? I’m two games away from being done with this whole charade. … It’s just plain incompetence and we all just sit back and take it. I’ll tell you this. If the Wings lose this series, after that call, I’m going to strongly consider how I can put forth any more time, effort or money toward a sport that has Gary Bettman as its commissioner.
Disgusting.
via KuklasKorner .
Red Wings Blog completely agrees with me
With a minute to go the Red Wings scored. Great right? No. The referee lost sight of the puck, even though it was laying right on the goal line, and blew play the play dead. Well, actually he didn’t blow the play dead, but he was thinking about it. The puck was in the back of the net by the time the whistle blew, but he was intending to blow it before the puck crossed the line. Well, he blew it alright. I really hate this rule. If you intend to blow the whistle too early, and don’t quite manage to do it, that’s a good thing, why wave that off? You don’t have to tell anybody about your intended mistake. Serenity now!
via Red Wings Blog .
Yes. It’s insane. INSANE.
Possibly Irrational Thoughts on the Hated Ducks’ Fake “win” in Game 3
“Haysie” is still an idiot. Evidence: his observation that Datsyuk was not driving to the net because he’s “afraid Wisniewski is going to deck him.” I’m not even going to comment on the fact that within minutes of this, Wisniewski was sent to the hospital by a Datsyuk wrist shot, which somehow got characterized as a Holmstrom elbow to the head or face. Maybe there was an elbow. I didn’t see it.
There were other typical b.s. comments from the ducks’ announcers, all of which I’m forgetting because of the Indignity of the Quick Whistle that Didn’t Even Happen Until After the Puck was Already in the Net.
I know the rule is that if the ref had it in his “mind” that he was going to blow the whistle, he can rule that the play was dead before the whistle technically (read: actually) was blown. My question is: WHY? WHY does he have to exercise this discretion now, when he knows he made a mistake. The puck was loose. He knew (i.e. realized) the puck was loose immediately after he blew the whistle. Therefore, he knew he would have been wrong to blow the whistle when, in his mind, he first thought to. Clearly, he has the option not to CHANGE THE OUTCOME OF THE GAME by compounding Mistake #1 — blowing the whistle because he thought the puck was covered up when in fact the puck was already in the net — with even bigger Mistake #2: that he mentally made the error of really wanting to have blown it down earlier.
Once he realized that he almost committed a collosal f***-up, why didn’t he just walk away, let it go, chalk it up to a bullet-dodged. Why does he have to say, “no, I have the discretion to turn my potential mistake into an actual one!” Didn’t he know it was an important moment, in an important game?
I think he did. And he choked.
(I mean, really, say he thinks there’s a penalty, and then right after he thinks it, he thinks, no, that’s not a penalty, does he HAVE to blow the play down on the grounds that he originally meant to blow it down before he changed his mind?)
He clearly could have — in the case of this obvious goal that he insanely disallowed — gone to the phone to check with Toronto. You know, TO GET IT RIGHT. Why does what the ref thought before he realized he was wrong matter at all? [UPDATE: apparently, when the whistle is blown relative to the puck crossing the goal line is not reviewable; but I'm quite sure that when the horn sounds relative to the puck crossing the goal line is reviewable. There is simply no reasonable rationale for that. All such plays should be reviewed, possibly giving the ref final discretion to say whether he intended to blow the play down sooner -- as with a situation where the puck is under the goalie, he means to blow it down, and then the puck is poked over the line; in that situation, you need the ref to be able to say, "no, it was covered, the play was dead." That's different from "oh, I thought it was covered, but really it wasn't."]
I will revise this observation with more rational thought when I’ve calmed down. But for now, that’s just f-ing ridiculous.
Sharks Territory: “There comes a point in every player’s career where we stop seeing the qualities of that player and focus on his faults.”
I thought our Sharks had enough to make a serious run in the postseason. So for me to write a credible blog about this team I needed some help. There are certain people I talk to all the time during the NHL season. They are players, coaches, broadcasters and scouts. They are people who have been in the NHL for decades. Their knowledge of the league runs miles deep. They have enjoyed success at the highest level. In other words they are ‘Hockey People’. Since the Sharks ouster from the playoffs, I’ve had several conversations with these respected individuals and here is their collective take on the team.
The Sharks are a dyslexic team. They are all 6’4″ but they play like they are 4’6”.
The Sharks are the Atlanta Braves of the NHL. Great regular seasons but can’t find another gear in the playoffs.
The Sharks lack determination, you just don’t see it on a regular basis.
The players seem too comfortable in San Jose they are treated very well and nobody wants to get their hands dirty.
The Sharks lack depth, the 3rd and 4th lines don’t scare anybody.
The Sharks have players that have the size, and skill to be better but they just aren’t.
The Sharks have a group of real nice guys. Which is great in real life but not so great when you step on the ice.
All of the experts I talked to figure the Sharks have two choices. DO NOTHING and say to the players, “you figure it out.” But to a man they think that option number two is the best- make dramatic changes and alter the culture of the team. Chemistry is really important and the best players have to have a little extra for a team to come together. In the opinion of these experts it seems like the Sharks have too many guys with the same personality. Too many guys who are on the same level emotionally.
As for who to trade, well that is up for debate. Many of you on the chat threads have been debating that for the last week. The Owners, Greg Jamison, Doug Wilson and Todd McLellan along with the rest of the Hockey Operations staff will debate trades and changes for the several weeks. I’ll leave you with a warning one of my experts told me. He said, “there comes a point in every player’s career where we (fans, pundits, scouts, coaches, etc.) stop seeing the qualities of that player and focus on his faults.” That is a trap that can set an organization back.
“I don’t think we handled the pressure as well as I thought we would,” McLellan says | Working the Corners
McLellan’s most relevant comments came when he was asked his reaction to those who thought Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton maybe were too mellow or too nice or too passive or too whatever to serve in the important role of team leaders.
“First of all,” McLellan said, “we need to separate the two because they’re not the same. Their personalities are different. But they are the leaders and they are the focal points of our organization with rest of the core.
“The team hasn’t succeeded over the past little bit with them driving the bus, if you will,” the coach added. “That doesn’t mean they can’t do it. But I think the questions grow every year that you don’t succeed.”
It was pointed out that McLellan knew San Jose’s playoff history — in fact, that’s how the job was vacant — but did he still see something change entering the playoffs that he didn’t expect.
“I don’t think we handled the pressure as well as I thought we would, individually and collectively,” he said. “We talked about external and internal pressure. The external pressure maybe impacted individuals more than the team. We weren’t as competitive as we needed to be in Games 1 and 2, and to me that was the turning point.”
So when is Sharks’ Presidents’ Trophy parade? – San Jose Mercury News
So what positives can the Sharks draw from the fact that the darn puck just somehow decided on its own to go into the net more times for Anaheim?
They can finally schedule that Presidents’ Trophy parade.
Doug Wilson needs extra time to figure out how to trade two guys with no-trade clauses.
Joe Thornton wants to avoid reporters for the next five months, so now that’s a lot easier to do.
(Side note: Thornton skipping the media session after the last two losses should say a ton. Barry Bonds might have blown past everybody after he hit two home runs, but he was there after elimination games, even Game 7 of the World Series. Terrell Owens talks when it all goes up in flames, or did you forget the “that’s my quarterback” tear-jerker? Rich Gannon and Tim Brown talked after the Super Bowl humiliation. The stars stand up.)
After the Sharks boosted payroll by $15 million and played four fewer home playoff games than a year ago (at an estimated $1 million a pop in revenue), someone might actually believe them when they say they lost money again.
They are living up to expectations, dummy. As the anchor for Canadian network TSN noted at the end of the highlights package Monday night, “No one picked the Sharks to go to the Cup final, I don’t think, and there’s a good reason.”
via So when is Sharks’ Presidents’ Trophy parade? – San Jose Mercury News.
Day 1 of an off-season that the Sharks weren’t expecting to start for quite a while | Working the Corners
Not surprisingly, Jeremy Roenick was the most outspoken about what’s likely to be in store for the Sharks:
“I don’t see how there can’t be big changes,” Roenick said. “When you underachieve like we did in the playoffs, there has to be major change. I don’t know what that it is. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of closed-door meetings. I don’t think anybody should feel safe.”
What are his plans as far as returning or retirement?
“I’m just going to sit back, relax and spend some time with my family. I’m going to talk to Doug and Todd in the next couple of weeks. I’m totally up in the air. I could go either way. I’m not going to make any rash decisions. I don’t want to pull a Brett Favre and say something when your emotions are running high.”
Might some guys decide they want to be elsewhere?
“When you’re in one place for a long time, it really does get stale. It’s hard to stay in one place for a long, long time, especially when you haven’t won. If you don’t win, there’s change. It’s inevitable.”
Eulogy: Remembering the 2008-09 Calgary Flames – Puck Daddy – NHL – Yahoo! Sports
Mike Cammalleri set career highs in all categories but it didn’t matter because his 39 goals and 82 points are off for free agency. But that’s okay, because even though the Flames have no money to bring him back with, those six playoff games were worth the 17th overall pick — right?
via Eulogy: Remembering the 2008-09 Calgary Flames – Puck Daddy – NHL – Yahoo! Sports.
Sharks and Kings Playoffs Histories UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE BIG CHOKE
Franchise Wins and Losses
Sharks 57-62 63
Kings 65-105
Over-all Series Records
Sharks 9-11 12 (missed playoffs 5 times out of 17 seasons: in playoffs 70%)
Kings 11-24 (missed playoffs 18 times out of 41 seasons: in playoffs 56%)
1st Round
Sharks: 8-3 4
Kings 9-14
2nd Round
Sharks 1-7
Kings 1-9
Conference Finals
Sharks 0-1
Kings 1-0
Cup Finals
Sharks n/a
Kings 0-1
Boo hoo hoo: Hockey News Says Sharks Are Suffering from (drum-roll) ROTTEN LUCK!
The turning point in this year’s playoffs for the San Jose Sharks occurred on the last day of the regular season. The Sharks now know that was the day their playoff fate was sealed.
When the St. Louis Blues defeated the Colorado Avalanche 1-0 in Game 82, it ended an improbable run that vaulted the Blues into sixth place in the Western Conference. It also dropped the Anaheim Ducks down to eighth place in the West and gave the Sharks their worst possible opponent in the first round.
The article goes on to say that the Ducks “aren’t really ” an eighth place team. Ha ha (ha).
I Hate the Ducks but I Love Bobby Ryan
And this is why. [look at picture] Drive to the net. Follow the f’ing puck. Just like they told you in pee-wee.
Petty Schadenfreude Update: Sharks Lose Two at Home Not Necessarily Because Rob Blake is an Idiot
Although it’s almost too much to take, listening to those insufferable Ducks announcers blathering on, especially when they’re reading the Sharks the Last Rites with six minutes to go in the game. I nearly forgot I was rooting for them to win.
Puck Stops Here: Cammalleri Non-Suspension B.S.
The main differences that the NHL has played up in explaining the lack of a suspension in this case is that it was a close game (so the resulting penalty mattered) and Cammalleri is a skilled player as Calgary’s top goal scorer this season. Cammalleri is not a goon. At 5’ 9” and 185 pounds he is on the small side for an NHL player. Thus Cammalleri is not a repeat offender and he was not “sending a message” at the end of a game.
Effectively these rulings make it OK for “skilled” players to do things that “goon” players cannot. It makes suspensions depend upon the person who commits the act instead of the act itself. This allows the NHL a coherent sounding reason to not suspend key players who will sell tickets and influence games, while suspending the fringe players.
In the playoffs, the NHL wants to send the message that suspensions will occur as usual (if needed) by suspending Carcillo, while also sending the message that they will not make unnecessary rulings to punish one team and hasten their playoff elimination, by not suspending Cammalleri. They cite the fact Carcillo is a repeat offender. They cite the fact that Carcillo was not playing in a key part of the game (which follows from him being more of a fringe player who does not play the most important minutes for his team). The NHL has setup a framework where they can cite a consistent set of principles and get away with only suspending only fringe players. The only problem is when a top level player becomes a repeat offender (as Chris Pronger has).
Suspending Carcillo and not Cammalleri for similar offences is the way the NHL usually operates. The more important a player is to the league and the more important the games the player will miss, the less likely he is suspended. Suspensions are for fringe players. These are the players who tend to become repeat offenders and tend to play in the points in the game where one might “send a message”.
via KuklasKorner : The Puck Stops Here : The Cammalleri Non-Suspension .
Adam Proteau’s Blog: Flames, Sharks scorers cause costly losses
Cammalleri … erred terribly when he drilled Blackhawks forward Martin Havlat in the head after a faceoff; Cammalleri almost certainly will (and definitely should) be suspended for the same swinging motion to the head that got Philadelphia’s Daniel Carcillo banned for Game 2 of the Flyers’ series against Pittsburgh.
Cammalleri was playing his first NHL playoff game and it showed. And because he allowed himself to mentally unravel in front of Havlat, Cammalleri now will probably handicap his team with his absence from the lineup in Game 2.
Meanwhile, Havlat, who had waves of Flames hurling themselves at him all game long, quickly shook off Cammalleri’s egregious punch and exacted his revenge – you know, “sent a message” – the right way: not by swatting back, but by scoring the game-tying goal late in the third period, then adding the overtime winner just 12 seconds into the fourth frame.
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