Canuck's Bitz has been suspended two games for a boarding incident.
Link to video
I'm shocked by this in many way, but also very pleased.
As previously stated, I didn't expect anything more than a one game suspension and more expected a fine. But that's not what happened.
Historically in the post season, most suspensions are muted and shortened. This is what I expected to continue. But now I'm looking back on my line of thought and wondering why I thought that. This is Shanahan, not Campbell. Shanahan's been, in my opinion, pretty good with his assessments. Yeah, he's missed some. He's suspended too heavy or too light. But the video explanations help, at least with the ones that get the ban. And he's blazing a new trail. And now every team has some sort of supplemental discipline with only now 7 teams going with having a player suspended at some point. Of those seven, four are in the playoffs. Vancouver was the only team that had not a suspension OR a fine throughout the pre season and regular season. Until now.
Now, here we are in the post season. And a big tipoff that this play could have been a suspension should have been the way the Department of Player Safety handled the Rome incident last year. Since Campbell wasn't at the reigns, they issued the longest suspension in playoff history last year. And they made several points to say it was NOT Campbell's decision. Almost laying the ground work for what would come in the new era.
I said at the time that I hoped the Rome incident was setting a precident, not adhearing to one. And that could very well be true. Three playoff games on the first night, and we a fine and a suspension from two of the three. In the past, there was no conformatity to suspensions and it seemed that the playoffs had a different set of rules. Actually, they did. That came from the Department of Player Safety.
But with the Rome hit, things seemed to change. It was made clear that this was a different decision than what any administration from the past (namely Campbell) would have done. If they were trying to adhere to previous "guidelines", they failed because this type of punishment would have been over the top because "hey, everything's lesser in the playoffs". But looking at the Bitz hit, it looks like a multigame suspension hit for the regular season. And it looks like those same guidelines will hold up the post season.
That is a good thing. Players should have the same expectations for plays in the post season as the regular season. And suspensions and fines for dangerous plays are nothing out of the ordinary.
This season, there have been 45 suspensions. All but two were for dangerous plays. One was for insulting language, another for leaving the bench to start in a fight. That includes the Bitz suspension and the preseason. There have been 29 fines this season (including Wednesday' against Shea Weber) for dangerous actions on the ice, so that doesn't include fines against coaches or players for comments.
Let's compare that to the previous season. Including all of the playoffs, season, and preseason, the 2010-2011 season saw 36 suspensions, but six were automatic and not necessarily for dangerous incidents. Four of those were in the post season. And of the 14 fines, only 6 were for dangerous actions.
It seems that Shanahan is on pace for not only giving out supplimental discipline, but keeping the punishment length the same as it would be during the regular season.
Since there is no exact formula and no two plays are exactly alike; it is impossible to tell if he will adhere to the same standards.
