Newsflash: More Concussions to Come in 2010

"I can't suspend Matt Cooke for being a repeat offender, I have to find a reason. Right now our rules say that shoulders to head are legal." – NHL Head Disciplinarian, Colin Campbell, explaining the non-suspension to Matt Cooke.

Mr. Campbell, there’s also nothing in the rule book saying that I can’t poke the butt end of my stick into a player’s left eye. There are a lot of things that aren’t explicitly laid out in the rule book, but the rules do explicitly say that a player should not intentionally commit an act that could injure another. Is this not precisely why there is an NHL disciplinarian – to watch and police the rules of the game?

You’ve probably seen it many times, but here is another look at Cooke’s hit on Marc Savard:




Campbell compared it to a hit by Mike Richards on David Booth from earlier in the season in which he also handed out no suspension. He stated that since there was no punishment for that hit, the NHL had to be consistent and not discipline Cooke for the hit in question.

For comparison, here’s a look at Richards’ hit:



In conclusion, upon taking a closer look at the Cooke hit, he comes from the side at a player who doesn’t even have the puck, and he means to injure him. Not any regular, measurable injury either, like a broken bone or a sprain, this is a blow to the most delicate, important part of the body.

There should have been a suspension on both hits, and it should have sent a message. Unfortunately, the message now sent is this: “Until the end of the 2009-10 season, take your liberties with people’s heads. We can do nothing to stop you!”

For more on my thoughts on the headshot epidemic, read my previous post on headshots here.