What is Brendan Shanahan's Problem?

            This is going to be quick but I need to get it out there. NHL Commissioner Brendan Shanahan is showing his true colors this post-season. After giving Shea Weber a pocket change fine of $2,500 for DELIBERATELY taking his hands to Zetterberg’s head and smashing it into the glass in game 1 of the playoffs, he then suspends Andrew Shaw for 3 games for a hit to Mike Smith that was according to Shanahan’s report “intentional”.

            A serious problem indeed has Shanahan caused because many thought that Weber’s hit was not only intentional but suspendable due to the fact that it was unnecessary to grab a man’s head with BOTH hands and smash it into the glass with 3 seconds left in the game. While Shaw’s hit was hard and questionable at best, his shoulder didn’t raise to intentionally hit Smith behind the net nor his elbow. Shanahan also suspended New York Ranger Carl Hagelin for 3 games for a hit to Ottawa’s Daniel Alfredsson whereas the Senators’ Matt Carkner, a player with a history of violent hits only gets suspended one game for literally beating Brian Boyle while he was down on the ice. If you didn’t see game 2 of the Rangers vs. Senators game and do not know what incident I am talking about, imagine a man bending over another, defenseless man and repeatedly beating him over the head with his bare fist while an official is attempting to pry the attacker off the attacked. 

            So what does this mean when it comes to how Shanahan is handling the violent situations that have plagued the first round of the post-season? It means that Shanahan is showing favortism, that he is a hypocrite and that he punishes the less violent over the more violent offenses. If he, like every other pro-sports Commissioner is genuinely concerned with player safety then there needs to be consistency with the punishment. Incidental contact between Shaw and Smith is far less dangerous than intentional contact with Weber’s hands and Zetterberg’s head. For a multi-million dollar athlete to receive a simple fine and a rookie athlete to receive a suspension is mixing the signals, especially for the younger generation.

            I am extremely upset by all of this. Not just because I am a Hawks fan but because the punishments that have been handed down have not fitted the crimes attached to them.

*Not my best blog I know but this is more of an upset writing than a seriously thought out blog.