Enforcers, Not Suspensions, Deter Cheap Shots

[TannieS]

Enforcers, Not Suspensions, Deter Cheap Shots
By Jeff Gordon

So what should the NHL do about all the dangerous hits we’ve seen this season?

Get rid of instigator penalties and allow the tough guys to police the sport. When a guy like Steve Ott decides to low-bridge Carlo Colaiacovo, he should feel the wrath of an accomplished fighter.

Penalizing a player like Ott does no good. Nor does suspending him for a few games, since “playing on the edge” is how he earned a nice NHL contract.

If he has to give some of that money back from time to time – as he did this week, with a two-game league ban — then it still beats life on the AHL shuttle.

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/hoc...r-cheap-shots/

[ono94]

Idiotic--Ott gets beat down all the time. Do you really think 5 mins or 10mins or even a game misconduct will stop him from doing it again? And do you really think an instigator call is going to stop an enforcer from enforcing? And Ott getting a simple beat down means nothing compared to him putting out a better player on the other team. Make the hits illegal (yes this already was) and the suspensions mandatory. Make multiple infractions serve greater suspensions. The answer isn't more goon on goon violence--its the NHL stopping the cheap shots and head shots and taking a stand to keep its greatest asset, the PLAYERS, on the ice.

[HOCKEY68]

Make multiple infractions serve greater suspensions. The answer isn't more goon on goon violence--its the NHL stopping the cheap shots and head shots and taking a stand to keep its greatest asset, the PLAYERS, on the ice.

Multiple infractions in the nhl is a joke as it is,whether your a star or not,it should be an automatic 10 game minimum for 1st offence,20 games the 2nd time plus a $20,000 fine,but we know that will never happen with bettmans superstars seeing there is a different set of rules for them!