Hodgemail: Should the NHL change its approach to suspensions?

Jasmine · 03-18-2010, 05:37 PM

TSN's Dave Hodge sounds off on all the hockey issues of the day in Hodgemail. Write in to answer Dave's weekly question and watch the NHL on TSN later in the evening to see if he reads your response.

The NHL's handling of disciplinary issues has collectively become hockey's hot-button issue right now.

With serious violations ranging from hits from behind to head shots and with the high stakes action of the postseason just a month away, there is momentum building to see changes happen sooner than later.

In recent weeks, we've seen Washington's Alex Ovechkin and Montreal's Maxim Lapierre handed suspensions for hits from behind. At the same time, Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke escaped punishment for a hit to the head that will sideline Boston's Marc Savard for the rest of the season. Despite being a repeat offender, Cooke was not punished when the league cited a similar precedent from last fall when Mike Richards was not suspended for a hit to the head on Florida's David Booth.

And on Wednesday night, another on-ice incident came to the forefront when Anaheim defenceman James Wisniewski knocked Chicago's Brent Seabrook out of the game with a vicious hit against the end board. That hit had a little bit of everything in terms of on-ice infractions - charging, interference and boarding. What will the verdict be on that?<---we now know its 8 games..

NHL senior vice president Colin Campbell and by extension - the league's competition committee, the NHL Players' Association and the Board of Governors - have been under pressure to deter these incidents and injuries by making the consequences of the actions much more severe.

So here's Dave's question to you:

"Should the NHL change its approach to suspensions - if so, how?"

Email your response to hodgemail@tsn.ca (along with your name and where you're from) and watch the NHL on TSN tonight during the first intermission to see if Dave reads your answer on air.

You can also catch the best responses on video on demand right after the broadcast on TSN.ca.

howie H · 03-18-2010, 09:09 PM

FRom Calgary, reply to Hits in hockey, no clutch, no grap, FASTER Hockey, Thats What the Hockey world changed to.... (european they wanted) Can the boys Slow Down, or do we need their Bigger Ice Before some one does get DONE.?