Katie Strang reports via twitter that Trevor Gillies has been suspended 10 games by the NHL for his (hit from behind/headshot/late hit/boarding) of Cal Clutterbuck in Wednesday night's game against the Minnesota wild at NVMC. Deb Placey shares via twitter that this will cost Gillies 1/4 of his annual salary and over $100,000 this season.
The duration is not exactly surprising. In light of Gillies' widely publicized previous suspension, the NHL and Colin Campbell had to escalate the punishment to fit the perpetrator who in this case, was less than one game removed from his previous suspension. Many may argue that there was a "dirty hit" by Clutterbuck or that this infraction "wasn't that bad", or even that "Clutterbuck wasn't hurt" on the play in question. None of these things ultimately matter. It was another poor choice by Gillies who has to know that there is a target on his back and that he is being watched very carefully. You cannot hit people in the head.
After the jump, additional links will be posted as they become available.
The video again for those who missed it:
In Gillies, the NHL has its ultimate villain (not undeservedly so). He can be made an example of at little cost to the NHL while hopefully also sending a message to it's fans and players that they are doing something about headshots and player safety in general. Gillies needs to re-think his approach to watching out for his teammates or he is going to end up just watching...permanently.
The next step is for the NHL and Colin Campbell to mete out similar levels of discipline for similar offenses going forward. If this is a one shot (or one guy) deal, then really nothing has been accomplished. If the NHL can be consistent, there is very little to gripe about. If not, not only fans but the players should make this their rallying cry going forward. Is it about the safety, or the appearance? Is it about the act, or the injury? Is it about the penalty, or the type of player committing it? NHL, don't let us down.
- NHL Statement via NHL.com
- Kukla's Korner's expanded NHL Statement
- 7th Woman's Take
- Short Botta statement at Islanders Point Blank
- Strang article at Newsday
- Mikb's pre-suspension piece on Gillies and the state of NHL Discipline
- Botta Via Puck Daddy on Chris Simon's suspension process | IslesFanInNJ Fanshot
- Team Pictures via Skates on a Plane
- Updated @ 5pm:
- Defending Bid D: Hypocrisy By the NHL and Media In Full Effect (A very good one along Mikb's article's lines)
- Nick Columbo at CBS Sports applauding the Isles recent toughness
- The Puck Daddy suspension satisfaction poll
- ESPN??? With Matt Barnaby audio???
- Capuano's hair reaction on Twitter - If you're not following this guy, you should be...helps get through the tough times.
From the Archives
Update from Dominik: Just showing a couple of essays from this site's history for newbies:
- One: On how Colin Campbell's ridiculous random enforcement undermines the whole concept of supplementary discipline.
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Two: On the occasion of Trevor Gillies first getting a recall by the Islanders, how the NHL has made enforcers near-meaningless, and powerless to "enforce" anything. In which fights like Konopka-Staubitz and the Penguins fights before Talbot finally dropped the gloves, is essentially predicted a year in advance.
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