Karma, Is Shanahan in for it now?

I feel like they're using a team of monkeys to decide suspensions. No consistency at all, no support behind their decisions.

Neal gets one for intentionally trying to injure two players late in a game, but Shaw gets 3 for accidentally hitting a goalie? Asham should have been gone from playoffs, I know he is essentially because there's no way the Pens win, but still would be nice to see that gesture. Same goes for Neal, If Pitt now wins the next game that means Neal is back, how can that possibly be good? How can that possibly end well? Same goes for the Rags-Sens, 1 for intentionally trying to injure a player versus 3 for getting a high elbow? BULL

Also, the suspensions to match injuries need to stop. The offending player has no control over that, and while it sucks they're injured you can't suspend off that. It has to be intent to injure and a malicious act combined.

My suspensions:

Neal- 3 for Couturier hit, 2 for Giroux

Asham- 5

Weber- 1

Carkner- 3

Hagelin- 1

Shaw-none

That's all I can remember off my head, only commenting on those that have happened. I think Torres will get 3 and Backstrom 1 for those that haven't been addressed yet.

Leafs Fan- Asham has never been fined or suspended. He got more than Backstrom because it was more violent and with more force, because he skated a long ways to make it happen which is less "reactionary" than the Backstrom play and because after he crosschecked him, he punch him in the back of the head.

I agree that the Neal/ Torres hits have alot of similarities but they are also different, that is why each situation is unique, that is why Shanahan does a great job, he factors in everything and some fans can't grasp it. If it is such a "wheel of justice" then how the hell can I tell you within one game what the suspension will be EVERY time.

Now, the biggest differences on the Neal/Torres incidents.

- Almost 2 seconds has passed since Couturier had the puck, it was less for Hossa (although I need to check on that to confirm). If that's the case, puck possession is moot because Hossa is deemed to have possession.

- Couturier was uninjured. Hossa left on a stretcher. This is a biggie because the Hawks miss a key player for what looks like a lengthy period.

- Neal went more airborn than did Torres but the NHL accepted his reason that he was bracing himself for the collision. Seems to me that Torres could do the same.

- The play happened quickly as there was a quick turnover.

I said one game for Neal. I said 3-4 games for Asham.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Akuq3...

I also said that Neal's one game would be for Giroux (the worse hit of the two IMO) although I said he would get a fine for the other.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AshTT...

Asham got four because he's a multiple repeat offender.

Backstrom isn't so it will be less plus the player Backstrom hit wasn't injured.

Neal should have gotten more because he was deliberately (and repeatedly) trying to injure another player (and frankly PIT should thank their lucky stars that Hartnell didn't unload on Crosby- he easily could have and we'd be enjoying another 6-9 months of Crosby Watch 3.0).

Torres is a multiple repeat offender and will get the book thrown at him.

I know its enough to make you wanna throw out the rule book and penalize anything beside incidental contact in the faceoff circle.

I think what Shanahan was hired to do was to protect the players, but somehow people got the idea that he was going to be Josef Stalin in the way he went about it. The job - as it turns out - is merely a happy face sticker on a balloon. Shanny has the easy part, but what the job lacks is the unanimous backing of all owners to give it more teeth to discipline players.

I mean c'mon, does anyone think that a player pulling in what Weber makes is going to miss a couple grand? Yeah, that'll teach him. As far as I'm concerned, the league lost all its credibility when they allowed Todd Bertuzzi to return after essentially performing a street mugging on Steve Moore.

The NHL (and NFL for that matter) have long walked the proverbial tightrope that is the allure of violence, and they fear the loss of revenue which (they feel) will be lost if they decided to actually do something meaningful to protect players. But if I've learned anything about sports and owners its that they are prone to put things off until a tragedy occurs.

I am so completely enraged you could not imagine! Yeah, I knew this WeberBS was a bad precident and it continued to the Pens/Flyers and had a serious impact today! I am sick of this crap! I wish the Hawks still had Gary Suter, that is how bad it is!

Neal did get suspended for one game. I imagine Torres will get atleast two probably three. The fact that Hossa was injured and had to go to the hospital will definately factor into it.

The reason why this one of the dirtiest playoffs since before the lockout is because this is probably the last time we will see hockey because well probably see yet again another lockout because of concussions and head injures along with discipline issues etc

I dont understand Shanahan. Before the playoffs he stated that playoff games are worth more, so unless I got the wrong impression a one game suspension in the playoffs would be more games in the regular season. Asham gets 4, Penguins may only have one game left, so does the remaining 3 games become 6 in the regular season next year?

I'm just looking for a place to rant about all of these plays and suspensions.

Backstrom wasn't skating into Peverley like Asham was to Schenn, so I think his should be longer, but four games compared to one is ridiculous. I'd prefer three for Asham and two for Backstrom.

Neal has these two hits and many warnings according to Shanahan, but only gets one game. That means he would have gotten nothing had he not been given warnings earlier. Ridiculous. Should have been two games in my eyes.

Shaw gets three games for a standard play of chasing the goalie behind the net, but unfortunately clips an uninjured Smith in the head. No intent, no injury. Hagelin gets three games because he hit a star player and accidently got an elbow up.

But Carkner can have complete intent to injure with his punches on Boyle and only get one game? Weber viciously slams Zetterberg's head into the boards and gets nothing (fines are nothing, let's be honest). I understand trying to remove hits to the head, but why doesn't INTENT mean anything? Weber did it on purpose. Carkner did it on purpose. Both shouldn't be playing for three games, easy.

Hard to predict what Torres will get. He's considered a dangerous player, has plenty of history, and hit a star player. I'd expect him to get like four games, but I think he only deserves two or three (only one if he didn't have the history).