Inside The Penalty Box 03.18.08: The NHL’s Double Standard

Posted by Neil Borenstein on 03.18.2008

Chris Simon steps on a player and gets a 30-game suspension. Chris Pronger does the same thing and received only eight. In this week’s Inside The Penalty Box, Neil Borenstein examines the NHL’s double standard when it comes to suspensions, in addition to answering some reader feedback.

The Double Standard Of NHL SuspensionsIs Skill Level A Factor In Determining Punishment?

Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports/Getty ImagesAnaheim's Chris Pronger received an eight-game suspension for stomping on the leg of Vancouver's Ryan Kesler.

double standard has been established in the NHL. Punishment is no longer based solely on a wrongdoing, if it ever really was. Instead, actual talent plays a role in the level of consequence the league hands out for on-ice incidents. At least, that's what the latest suspension would indicate.

The NHL dealt Anaheim Ducks defenseman and captain Chris Pronger an eight-game suspension on Saturday. In a Wednesday evening matchup between the Ducks and Vancouver Canucks, Pronger stomped on the leg of Vancouver center Ryan Kesler. The league originally refrained from issuing a punishment to Pronger due to a lack of conclusive video evidence. But a new angle surfaced which clearly depicted the infraction, prompting the NHL to reprimand Pronger.



The eight-game sentence, however, is a joke compared to the suspension length given to now-Minnesota Wild forward Chris Simon when he was a member of the New York Islanders. Simon acted in a similar fashion to Pronger when the Islanders played the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 15, 2007. Simon and Pens forward Jarkko Ruutu met at the benches and Simon subsequently tripped up Ruutu and stepped his skate blade right on the foot of his fallen opponent. The league handed Simon a 30-game suspension, without pay, for this atrocious event, which is the longest penalty ever given to a player in NHL history.



In addition to the nature of the incident, Simon was banned for such a lengthy amount of time because he is a repeat offender. Simon's involvement in reprehensible on-ice activity is well noted, as the league has enforced eight suspensions (including this latest one) on Simon during his NHL career. Simon's most notable infraction came against the New York Rangers toward the tail end of the 2006-07 season when he swung his stick in retaliatory fashion at the head of Rangers' fourth liner Ryan Hollweg. That garnered Simon a 25-game suspension.

If Simon's repeated history with on-ice transgressions landed him escalating punishments, why does Pronger escape such a system of determining consequence? Pronger has the same amount of run-ins with NHL brass – the suspension resulting from his stomp last Wednesday counting as his eighth. He is just as much a repeat offender of breaking the rules and putting fellow players in serious danger as Simon. And he should be punished on the same scale.

As compiled by TSN.ca, here is a list of the career suspensions handed down by the league to the 33-year old veteran:

October 19, 1995: slashing Washington forward Pat Peake, four games, with St. Louis Blues
December 17, 1998: high-sticking Phoenix forward Jeremy Roenick, four games, with St. Louis Blues
October 11, 2000: leaving bench for altercation against Atlanta forward Kelly Buchberger, one game, with St. Louis Blues
April 3, 2002: cross-checking Dallas forward Brendan Morrow, two games, with St. Louis Blues
March 14, 2004: kicking Calgary Flames forward Ville Nieminen, one game, with St. Louis Blues
May 15, 2007: elbowing Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom in the head, one playoff game, with Anaheim Ducks
June 3, 2007: hitting Ottawa Senators forward Dean McAmmond in the head, one playoff game, with Anaheim Ducks
March 15, 2008: stomping on leg of Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler, eight games, with Anaheim Ducks

With similar histories, there shouldn't be a 22-game difference in suspension length between what Simon and Pronger received for the same foul. The problem that arises from this whole mess is that it's obnoxiously clear Pronger is skating from a harsher penalty because he is a big star in the league and has actual talent beyond being a physical member to his team.

Pronger is not only one of the most talented defenseman in the NHL today – probably within the top three, but he is even one of the best overall players. He's a solid all-around defenseman, able to produce in all situations from the offensive and defensive ends of the ice. His leadership on and off the ice highlights his contributions.

Compared to Simon, Pronger is infinity more important to the Ducks and the game. Though Simon has been in the NHL for 14 seasons and is hardly an unknown, he has rarely been more than a third line talent. He's an energy guy and utilized mostly for his physicality, especially since he pretty much taps out in the mid-20s with points at this stage in his career. While Pronger is still flourishing, Simon is definitely on the decline and not nearly as useful as he used to be.

So what does it matter if the game loses Simon for a lengthy period of time? His absence is not felt nearly as much as the loss of a superstar like Pronger.

This double standard is only further highlighted by its timing. On an eight game suspension, Pronger will return to the Ducks' lineup with one game remaining to the team's regular season schedule. That way, he doesn't miss a single playoff contest for the current fourth seed in the Western Conference.

The playoffs didn't prevent the league from suspending Simon last year. He was given a minimum of 25 games following the March 8 stick swing. The ban covered the rest of the regular season and the entirety of the playoffs. If the Islanders played fewer than 10 postseason contests, the suspension would carry over to the following season – this season.

The Islanders would much rather have a playoff run with Simon in the lineup. But losing him wasn't going to be that detrimental. However, not having Pronger could really crush the Ducks' success. If Pronger were to receive the same 30-game ban as Simon, he would miss the rest of the Ducks' regular season games (nine at the time of the suspension), as well as at least the first three rounds of the playoffs – if each round went seven games. Essentially, Pronger would be shut down for the rest of the year.

There is no room in the game for this disparity. Punishment cannot be based on the skill of a player. What Pronger did was no less severe than what Simon did. The stomps were both intentional and the players knew exactly what they were doing. They were both extremely dangerous. A skate blade doesn't discriminate in its impact based on the talent of the player it's attached to. If one player who has been suspended seven previous times received a 30-game suspension for stepping on another player, the next player who steps on another player and has previously received seven suspensions should also get a 30-game ban. Star power needs to remain irrelevant when it comes to protecting players and the integrity of the game.

Feedback …

Here's some reader feedback from last week's Inside The Penalty Box …

Say what you want about the Southeast, 2 of last 3 Stanley Cups have been won by Southeast clubs. 3 of the last 5 Cup finals have included a Southeast team.

- Guest

While this is all true, it has absolutely nothing to do with this season, which is what I was discussing. The Southeast has had quite a bit of success over recent years. But it's taken a year off this season.

Last time I looked at the standings, Washington had lost 30-games. If they miss
the playoffs, it is not the fault of one player.

- vade

Oh, I absolutely agree, vade. It won't be Nicklas Backstrom's fault if Washington misses the playoffs. It doesn't really matter at this point anyway considering the Caps have won three in a row and are only two points out of the playoffs, making Backstrom's own goal goof basically irrelevant. But at the time, had Washington continued down a slippery slope and missed the playoffs, you have to know Backstrom was going to catch flak for it, fair or not.

I thought the same thing as Guest (about Southeast teams winning the cup) which makes their performance over the last two years that much more surprising.

The fact that Carolina gets to be in 3rd place in the conference further confirms my opinion that the division leader's seedings are worthless and should be removed. They have enough points to be 8th but they get to be 3rd? Lame.

- DrBdan

I'm not sure I'd want the league to go as far as removing the division leader seeding because every division should have representation, I suppose. But it's pretty funny that Carolina is in third place with eighth place points. As long as it remains Carolina, though, and Washington doesn't supplant them, it could just be an easy matchup for the No. 6 seed in the first round. If the Capitals pass the ‘Canes, though, it could be a much different circumstance, as the Caps are pretty dangerous.

While it's really not fair, Washington's going to want a scapegoat and it's going to be Backstrom. It's really too bad too, because it could really fuck him up for good.

- Cyber Socko

Fortunately for Backstrom, I think he's off the hook considering the Capitals' recent hot streak. But had they continued to lose, it would have been a long offseason for Backstrom, which could have taken a mental toll. He shouldn't have to worry about it now, though.

Why is it that everyone is taking pot shots at the Hurricanes because they are seeded third? They didn't make the rules they only play within them. If you have a beef with the rule then I suggest you write to Gary Bettman to complain. The Hurricanes have fought tooth and nail just as most of the others have to get to this ranking and they are not about to roll over. They are a good team, albeit we have yet to learn how good till the season ends. I just have gotten tired of everyone finding fault with them and they are 9 points ahead of Washington, but the media think that Washington and Ovechkin walk on water. I'm sorry but he puts his pants on just like the rest of us. It takes a team to win Lord Stanley not one player. Just my beef.

- Canes Fan

Well, I would like to know how you know Ovechkin puts his pants on just like the rest of us.

Regardless, the Hurricanes are just playing in the system and that's completely fair. I don't think they're as good as Washington, who is catching up. And the inconsistent play of Cam Ward would worry me if I rooted for the ‘Canes. But regardless of the fact that they don't match their seeding point-wise, it's not Carolina's fault they sit in third. It's just the NHL we all live in.

Thanks for the comments guys, and everybody keep it coming!

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Until next week, you have just been Inside The Penalty Box!

~ Neil Borenstein