This isn’t going away anytime soon so we might as well keep covering it.
In the wake of the non-suspension news surrounding the Matt Cooke hit, as well as the news that the NHL GM’s have proposed rule changes that would make such hits illegal, players and coaches around the NHL are weighing in with their thoughts on the situation.
Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, no doubt one of the most outspoken in this week’s meetings, had some very choice words during a conference call yesterday.
“I was bewildered that there wasn’t a penalty called.
“There’s no reason to believe [the league] is targeting us. We can go and look at other teams and see what infractions have happened to other teams. You’ll have the same or close to the same as far as major penalties and injuries that have been caused. I have no reason to believe [the NHL] is targeting us.
“There’s momentum that’s been building since the Richards/Booth hit. I felt if they set aside the existing parameters that there wouldn’t a compromise to the [discipline] system.
“I’m really disappointed. What’s fair? There’s no due process. I got there Sunday night and I was speaking to Collie and his staff right up until when I left [Wednesday] at noon. I was heard if that’s part of fairness, and I guess there was an element of fairness there.”
Obviously there’s some emotions involved on the Bruins side, as Cooke is still playing and Savard is at home with the lights off and the curtains drawn.
But I doubt the NHL is actively targeting any team in this situation.
It’s not as if Cooke wasn’t a repeat offender, whom the league is always quick to come down harder on than anyone else. And while Savard isn’t exactly a “superstar”, he’s far from a nameless player on a small-market team. The NHL maintains they had no choice not to suspend Cooke based on the precedent set forth earlier this season, and the simple fact that there wasn’t a rule in place he broke.