He has issued three suspensions so far in the post season, with more expected very soon.
While I'm a little surprised that Weber wasn't suspended, Shanahan says it was the lack of injury that was a deciding factor.
"I looked at that one, and I'm not happy with that play. I'll say on the bigger picture too: If I made a decision that people didn't agree with, or a day or two later, you got that one wrong, a week later they'd try to hold me to that standard and question by consistency if I move forward.
"The playoffs evolve. The game evolves. I have to try and keep evolving with them. It's not like the regular season where every team has 82 games to play, and there's equal footing. They change depending on the score of the series or how many games are left in the series.
"I investigated that hit. I called Detroit that night. I think that he pushed his face in the glass. I was very close to a 1-game suspension on that. When I talked to Detroit [GM Ken Holland], he basically said that the player was fine.
"I think it's a fair argument. A $2,500 fine is as high as we can fine a player."
He also addressed the three game suspension to Hagelin and the one game on Carkner:
"I think they're different plays. The difference between the two, right off the hop, is that there's a head injury and concussion on one and there's no injury on the other. Now, that doesn't mean one guy gets off and the other guy doesn't.
"But when we looked at the play between Carkner and Boyle, Carkner asks Boyle to fight in response to going after their small star player in the game before. [Ed. Note: Shanahan said Carkner asked Boyle to fight off the faceoff.] Boyle doesn't fight back, which I don't blame him — I probably wouldn't have either. He does hit 'em in the face, he drops 'em. As was said to us in the hearing, he hit him with five more punches, and they were in the arm, shoulder and back — not in the head. But he thought that was excessive.
"So Boyle stands up, is fine, doesn't miss a shift. Whereas unfortunately with an elbow to the head … I do think Carl Hagelin's a good kid, but he looks right at Daniel Alfredsson, skates at him and elbows him right in the head. Alfredsson has to leave a big game, an important game and doesn't come back."
Shanahan is doing a good job. I will argue that with anyone. There is a lot (a whole lot) of people thinking that he is not doing enough or really going to far. He's been accussed of playing favorites and selectively punishing. I don't think that's a fair arguement. He has explained every decision. With video for the suspensions.
He acknowledges the punishment is different in playoffs depending on situation. I'm not as big of a fan of that, but I am a fan of the fact that it's just the punishments that are being tweaked, not the whole concept of supplimental discipline. It keeps players in the same safety mindset they have (or will eventually build) in the regular season.
Look, say what you will, but the man has opened the curtain into the world of the Department of Player Safety much more than it has ever been before. And that is a great thing for the sport. Building this foundation is not easy or quick. I feel that, assuming this transparency structure remains in tact, that in five years it will be much less of an issue. Yeah, fans will still argue of favoritism and such. But that's what fans do. They are fanatics, die hards that root for their team no matter what and anything against their team is essentially bad. Neutral analysis though will hopefully be more fair.
The whole thing of having all these penalties, especially in the playoffs, will just take some getting used to. Like any new rule change.
