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Gary Bettman: NHL has “been extremely proactive”

Image (1) bettman-thumb-200x133-7942.jpg for post 523

David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune was able to score a fairly lengthy interview with NHL commissioner, asking him a number of questions pertaining to the recent rule changes, suspensions and the future of the NHL. Here are some highlights of what he had to say.

The rash of nasty incidents since the Olympics had to factor into the NHL’s decision Thursday to toughen its policy on review and discipline of “lateral, back-pressure or blind-side’’ hits, especially to the head, right?

Was it the post Olympics activity that caused this? No. We’ve been extremely proactive on the issue of injuries in general and concussions in particular going back to 1997. We were the first pro sports league to do baseline testing, used as a diagnostic tool for return-to-play decisions. Over the past year, we’ve had a group of medical professionals looking at the videotape of 199 recent concussions. We have constantly taken steps to do anything possible to protect our players.

I’d like to just say here that the NHL is far from proactive on these issues, especially when it comes to punitive measures for illegal hits. This past week’s kneejerk reaction and attempt to pass a new rule that was in direct response to a rash of what should be illegal hits is the very definition of reactive. If the NHL is so intent on being ‘proactive’ then the league should have addressed all hits to the head two years ago.

More after the jump.

Did the fact that Ovechkin is a superstar affect the length of his suspension?

No. Your history as a player and the number of times you’ve been involved in an incident may, but no. The Ovechkin play, he was suspended for being careless and reckless, not for doing anything malicious. The fact is, when you look at lots of hockey plays, that was a hockey play. I don’t think he was going out of his way to try and hurt Brian.

I don’t think I’ve ever actually agreed with Bettman on something, completely. The suspension was completely warranted based on Ovechkin’s history and the play in question. It wasn’t an overtly dirty hit, just a reckless one.

The issue is that while his star status might not have come into play here, there’s no doubt that the NHL has gained a reputation for coddling star players when it comes to punishment. Maybe a form of a standardized punishment system would work, which would fall under that ‘proactive’ approach Bettman is so certain the NHL is using.

Bettman would also go on to talk about how great the Coyotes have done this season, and the possibilities of Jerry Reinsdorf as a potential owner. He also says the Chicago national anthem tradition is far from unpatriotic, and says the NHL is far from making a decision on the league’s involvement in the 2014 Winter Olympics.