If he doesn’t get suspended, it basically tells Ovechkin he can do whatever he wants without ever facing punishment. Oh, wait. Nevermind…

Posted by cs6687 on 03/14/10 at 07:09 PM ET

The difference to the Cooke incident is that the hit wasn’t legal and resulted in a major penalty as well as game misconduct to a repeat offender. I haven’t remember the requirements for suspension, but I doubt that lack viciousness or malicious intent is sufficient to nullify suspension if the act was reckless and dangerous. (And if the league can’t call Cooke’s hit a deliberate attempt to injure, how can anyone claim knowledge of the opposite on behalf of Ovechkin and then use it to avoid suspension?)  The injuries sustained by Campbell was pretty severe, and lack of repercussion would - yet again - send the wrong signal.

Posted by Moq from Denmark on 03/14/10 at 07:24 PM ET

Soo tell me how this is any different from the Lapierre hit that got him 4 games…. Screw the NHL if they dont have the balls to treat everyone fairly

Posted by Snair from Canada on 03/14/10 at 08:42 PM ET

he sat out the whole game. who cares? good enough punishment.
Cooke didnt even get a fu**#$@ penalty on his play because of CRAPPY “legalistic” league rules that could be found in bar leagues, and the dude after the game would get his face bashed in the parking lot.

Penguins fans need to go stroke themselves.

Posted by Death Metal Nightmare from MKE on 03/14/10 at 08:47 PM ET

Paul,

You are completely right.  If Cooke wasn’t suspended then how can Ovy get suspended.  Cooke is a repeat offender.

All those calling for a suspension are just jealous Pens fans.  They want Ovy to be suspended because they’re afraid we’re going to win the cup this year.  We’ve owned the Pens all year and this year we’re going to beat them and everyone else in our path.

Posted by Bruce from DC on 03/14/10 at 10:48 PM ET

You are completely right.  If Cooke wasn’t suspended then how can Ovy get suspended. 

at some point the league has to start doing the right thing, rather than using past mistakes to justify continuing to make mistakes.

do two wrongs make a right in the NHL now?  how can people use this kind of logic?  I’m astounded at the idiocy that flies around the league and the Interwebs when things like this happen.

Ovechkin put another player in danger.  he could have very easily simply NOT TOUCHED HIM.  that would have been the right play, and Ovechkin made the wrong play.  that is the only standard that matters.

trying to judge the severity of the contact or the intent is ludicrous.  it’s like the police not arresting someone because they shot at you but missed.  would you be OK with that?  I doubt it.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 03/15/10 at 07:13 AM ET

here is a way to think about it.  if you are standing firmly with both feet planted and I come shove you, what happens?  what if you were standing there balancing on one leg and I shove you exactly the same way?  what if I do it from behind and you don’t know it’s coming?  does the position you are in affect the severity of what I did?  of course it does.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 03/15/10 at 07:23 AM ET

I’m tired of hearing the intent defense, it is a shallow argument because no one but the player that commits the infraction knows why they did it. Ovechkin may not have intended to injure Campbell, but if you have even played pee wee hockey you know that if you shove a guy in the small of his back he loses control and doing so near the boards can be deadly. Ovechkin deserves a suspension, he plays on the edge, which is part of his appeal, but he should be disciplined like everyone else. Besides, this isn’t an isolated incident and is starting to become a pattern.

The defense that what Cooke did is worse it an idiot’s defense, my opinion has nothing to do with whether Colin Campbell is incompetent. Cooke should have been suspended and now Ovechkin as well. If something isn’t done about these dangerous hits it may be Ovie that is out next. I aslo felt Boyle should have had worse when he slew footed Semin, but that was Olympic incompetence.

PS
I had Cap season tickets before the bandwagon so I have nothing against the Caps.

Posted by hockey1919 from montreal on 03/15/10 at 08:52 AM ET

Every one believes Buttman and the NHL are in the tank for Pissburgh.  If they DON’T suspend Cooke and DO suspend Ovechkin for a much lesser offense, it will be confirmed.

Posted by Joe on 03/15/10 at 11:34 AM ET

OV does not deserve to be suspended…that needless play maybe deserved double minors…watch Campbell’s skates he look like he was loosing his edge right before OV nudged him. If he finished the check..then yes suspend him. This is not girl’s hockey! The officials have been awful this year! probably one of the worse years I have seen! every one of them have a different interpretation of the rules and it seems to change thru out the games. They let the players get away with things in the first period and clamp down in the 2nd or 3rd….or vice versus. I works both ways but they need to be more consistent. Caps have shown that they CAN win without him. But why should we!

Posted by All Star Electric Co., Inc from Rockville MD on 03/15/10 at 12:05 PM ET

I find it amusing that everyone wants a suspension on a “dirty hit” or a push from behind that results in injury.  They just don’t want it to start with a player on their team.  For better or worse we won’t see significant change until at least next season.  It’s become such a clusterfaux that any suspensions given out now will come under fire.  I’m positive the NHL hopes to get through the rest of this season without a major incident and then implement the “new” rules.  These knuckleheads are the reason hockey has become a niche sport.

Posted by calquake on 03/15/10 at 03:42 PM ET