Wild Center Warren Peters was suspended one game for cross checking David Backes in the head.
I tend to give the league the benefit of the doubt, but I ... I'm just at a loss for words. Cross checking is illegal no matter where you do it. Peters told the league he was aiming for Backes' shoulder, meaning he was trying to illegally hit him. It was a premeditated illegal check. He "missed" the shoulder and popped Backes in the face. But it's cool because he was totally sorry, and Backes wasn't hurt. So it's one game.
I'm sorry but what? Admitting you were trying to hurt a guy is totally cool as long as the guy doesn't get hurt?
Brendan Shanahan and the Department of Player Safety are more transparent than the wheel of discipline regime of Colin Campbell, but just as bad. There have been so many questionable suspensions, and non-suspensions that I don't know what to think anymore.
The NHL wants hits to the head out of the game, but a cross check TO the head is just one game. Oh and a leaping hit, like the one Cal Clutterbuck laid on Alex Pietrangelo that made DIRECT contact to the head? That doesn't even merit a fine.
We've seen this before Pavel Datsyuk makes a hit to the head of Barret Jackman? No suspension. Every single questionable hit against the Blues this season has been ignored by the league. Now let me be clear, I'm not putting on my tinfoil hat and suggesting the league is biased against the Blues, because that's fucking moronic. What I'm saying is the league has been so inconsistent that I don't even know what a suspension-worthy hit is.