No Suspensions for Malone, Edler

[RGM81]

Many sources on Twitter are saying that there won't be any further supplementary discipline for Ryan Malone and Alex Edler, both of whom delivered headshots during games on the weekend.

I guess all the talk and hype about the new regime being serious about taking headshots out of the game was just that...talk and hype. They say that they want blows to the head out, but it appears that they only want some blows to the head out.

[Wickabee]

The Malone one looked bad, but I only saw it once.
Edler's looked bad the first time I saw it and I will still say he stuck his elbow out, but if Hall had stayed upright and not ducked, it wouldn't have come close to his head, it would have been an elbow in the chest.
I still thought Edler was going to be suspended (and would have been ok with that, given the elbow) but apparently Shanahan saw it the same way I did.

[RGM81]

Down the slippery slope we go...

"We felt that this hit was the most challenging one so far in this pre-season for the Department of Player Safety to evaluate," said Shanahan. "In the end, we felt that Malone had committed to the hit when Campoli was upright. However, when the contact was made, Campoli's head position significantly changed just prior to the hit.
"There are elements about the hit that we don't like - specifically, the principal point of contact being the head and that it was not a full-body check. But the overriding factor in our judgment was that Campoli's loss of the puck and subsequent bending forward for it just prior contributed significantly, if not entirely, to those elements."

So we're back to where we were under Campbell - we want to get headshots out of the game, but we're not going to punish everybody that delivers them.

[piper1]

You are a Habs fan, so given the long and storied track record did you really expect anything different from the NHL front office when a Montreal player is involved.

[RGM81]

I had high hopes with the new regime, I really did.

[Estovia]

If you punish every person who delivers a headshot, you'll have forwards skating low all over the ice to avoid getting hit.

Malone's hit would not have been a headshot had Campoli kept skating, instead of stopping his feet and reaching for the puck. Campoli put puck possession above his own safety, and that's why there's no supplemental discipline.

Edler's hit wasn't even really a hit. Yes, in the video Edler's elbow makes contact with Hall's head, but all Edler did was cut him off at the puck. Guys do things like that all the time in hockey. Yes, it's an interference penalty. No, it's not a gruesome headshot that needs supplemental discipline. It's very similar to Malone V Campoli - had Hall kept going, he would have been squelched into the glass, but not necessarily struck in the head. Hall's decision to change direction while reaching for the puck is what caused the principal point of contact to be Hall's noggin.

Yes, we want to get headshots out of the game. It's better for everyone that way. But it's only going to happen if EVERYONE is responsible for their own actions. Malone was guilty of committing to a hit too early and Edler was guilty of interfering with the progress of a skater without the puck - but neither was guilty of targeting the opponent's head with a check.

[Tivo32]

It's a similar situation to what's happening in the NFL right now. The NFL is desperately trying to get rid of helmet to helmet hits but they're putting no responsibility on the offensive player to stop ducking their head into hits. Players need to stop ducking their heads into hits. I've thought so far that the new regime has done a pretty solid job.

[MatsSundin13Rocks]

Not sure how MacArthur gets suspeneded 2 games for his hit but Malone, Elder, and Sturm all avoid suspensions for their hits to the head of players. Already doesn't make any sense in the ruling as to what is or isn't a suspension. The Malon hit deserved a minimum 2 games since that is what MacArther received for a hit that wasn't as bad. In fact the Elder and Sturm hits are more comparable to the MacArthur hit. Shananhan has now made some questionable decisions and is receiving heat for them.

What I wonder is how big of a suspension would Matt Cooke have got for his hit on Marc Savard under the new Shanahan regime? How many would Mike Richards received for his hit on David Booth?

[Wickabee]

I know on the Edler hit, Hall started to go down before contact was made, when the contact was made, it was an elbow to the head because of this. Had Hall not gone down, it still would have been an elbowing penalty, so no biggie there. It sounds like Malone's was the same deal.
What got me was the hit to the head call against Sturm in the same Canucks game. Sturm made contact with the shoulder and the guy's head flew back, so he got a "to the head" call.
I think the explanations given are very straightforward. I wouldn't call this "back to the old ways" at least not yet.

[habsheaven]

Shanahan's explanation that Campoli lowered his head after Malone had started to deliver the hit is completely false. The replay clearly shows Campoli was reaching for the puck and his head level remained constant all through Malone's approach. Clear example of a player CHOOSING to hit another player in a vulnerable position. How much does Malone make? Little more than all the other suspensions so far. Can't wait to hear the explanation when a bigger star screws up. I am sure Shanny has a few outs still up his sleeve for the big guys.