Three Seasons Come To A Close This Week: A Loss, A Suspension, & An Injury
By Cait Platt
Last night we saw the close of the Detroit Red Wings 2011-2012 season as they fell to the Nashville Predators in the first round 4-1. While the Wings were not expected to blow the Predators out of the playoffs 4-0, the overwhelming majority figured the Wings could at least hold their own while at home. After all this was the team that went 23 straight games at home, but clearly this meant nothing to the Predators as they walked in and swept the team in the Joe Louis Arena. Despite this 23 win streak, the Wings were below .500 on the road leading to them finishing 5th in the Western Conference.
The close of this series was over shadowed by something much more interesting? Shocking? You can chose how you describe news from Brendan Shanahan earlier this afternoon.
Call it whatever you want: too much, inconsistent, a lesson no one will listen to, spot on, too late, etc, the Shanaban has spoken and Raffi Torres has received 25 games in response to his hit on Marian Hossa in Game 2 of the Chicago Blackhawks match up against the Phoenix Coyotes. For those of you who have some how missed the hit (or wish to see it again):
And here’s Shanahan’s video explaining the suspension:
The decision to suspend Torres for so long is a sound judgement. However, will we see this continue any time a repeat offender finds himself standing in front of Shanahan? Or was this to silence those who claimed Shanahan had caved to those unhappy with his previous decisions?
I try to stay positive about Shanahn’s decisions. I can’t imagine what it is like having the pressure of the owners and Gary Bettman crushing down on you, on top of what the fans are expecting. But Shanahan was hired to do a job, protect the players and it seems all he’s done to date is protect the money in the owners’ pockets. Whether or not you agree that Shea Weber should have been suspended, his appearance in all the games made people tune in and watch. This, much like the Pittsburgh Penguins versus Philadelphia Flyers wild abandonment is the NHL’s dream. They are seeing a record number of people tuning into watch the playoffs.
Suddenly everyone is an arm chair coach. Everyone has a comment about the game. The NHL is reaching popularity it hasn’t seen in a long time. But what’s the cost? The game is no longer the game fans know and love. Players like Hossa are put in danger. And these casual fans won’t stick around. Everyone is seeing dollar signs now, but all this extra money pouring in won’t last if there’s another lock out. Those who invested their time and money into this sport will stick with it through a lockout but not if you alienate them.
Personally, I will only agree with the Torres suspension until there’s another incident, where a comparison can be made. We all thought Andrew Shaw‘s three game suspension was going to be the benchmark of suspensions, and it wasn’t. So until there’s even a hint of consistency, no suspension is “good” in my eyes.