What to do?

Pat Quinn, Head Coach of the Edmonton Oilers was fined today by the NHL Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. Quinn was fined because he critized a what he believed was a penalty call by a referee in a game against Calgary that Quinn believed to be lenient. Jarome Iginla was assessed a minor penalty, but Quinn was looking for much more.

Quinn complained that the NHL doesn't protect players - penalties called on dangerous plays are too lenient, but the league suspends players that pursue vigilante justice.

Quinn is quite right, but is not taking the argument far enough. There is more to the issue, and nobody wants to talk about it.

There are, in fact, several issues tied together:
1. The NHL, as stated by Quinn, is too lenient on dangerous plays.
2. The NHL, as stated by Quinn, penalizes players for protecting their teammates.
3. The NHL penalizes star players at a much reduced rate.

Campbell has stated in interviews that the value - to their teams - of the players involved (both the 'victim' and the 'perp') are considered when assigning suspensions.

Read that last part again. Keep reading it until the implications sink in. Here are some of the implications that I can come up with on a Friday night:

- Star players are suspend less
- When they are suspended, Star players are assigned lighter suspensions

The NHL is essentially stating that they do not care about the careers of the players at the lower end of the salary scale. They will protect Star players at the expense of the pluggers.

Who should be held accountable for this? First, Colin Campbell. But that's another post. Trust me - its coming.

The other party that should be ashamed for allowing these travesties is the NHLPA. The NHL is not protecting a significant portion of the NHLPA membership. The NHL is providing a more dangerous workplace for 4th liners. The NHLPA - not the NHL - should be responsible for assigning suspensions for on-ice activities. The NHLPA should be demanding a safer workplace, as any Union does. Why don't they?