Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins
So, couldn't they (the NHL) put an end to these kind of cheap shots through real penalties and administrative action? Suspend the guy for the rest of the year - something meaningful - and suspend him for life the first time he does it again upon his return. Get the word out at that level and the problem goes away. Unless, of course, hockey is so desperate for fans that they do not wan the problem to go away... No other pro sport allows fighting at this level (except maybe NASCAR) unless it's a fighting sport, like MMA (I wonder how their fans would like it if they pulled their gloves off to play hockey every now and then...).
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The union would fight a lifetime ban and win. Far more dangerous plays have resulted in suspensions of up to 20 games. I do not recall anything beyond that. But they are slowly bur surely increasing suspensions, which is the only way the union will live with the rulings.
To a certain extent no one wants the problem 'gone', the NHL is, and always has been a very violent game.