If The NHL Suspensions Focus On Games Or Fines?

A device (not renowned punk) additional NHL discipline is undergoing a transformation this year with Colin Campbell stepped aside as the czar of the suspension of Brendan Shanahan (notes), who has a child not to play with the champions Stanley Cup and is significantly better able to e-mail.

When the new sounds in the process of becoming a process of new questions: If the break is longer? Shorter? Whether it's preventive measures are politically motivated panaceas or injured?

In essence, the complementary discipline is like any other function under the law, the penalty for illegal part, to deter future acts of some individual and others in society.

The question is do they work as a deterrent? When you see Trevor Gillies (notes) to serve a suspension for his first game back from suspension, one can not help but question their effectiveness. When you have repeat offenders and repeat crimes, one wonders the same thing.

Which brings us to highlight the complementary discipline:

How to draw the attention of a player?

The answer is often, through his wallet. It was the answer 19 years ago, and is a response today.

But good God, what a difference 19 years makes ... because back in the day, Trevor Gillies has not missed any game.

Gil Stein has replaced John Ziegler as NHL president in June 1992, and changes to the headquarters of the League were radical. In particular, Stein oversaw the additional discipline, taking the whip hand of the NHL VP Brian O'Neill.

It has led to what would be politely referred to as the approach to "orthodox" in law by the Stein, the NHL, the Ottawa Citizen described:

He believes that the suspension of the game are unfair to the fans who are deprived of seeing the players in action. Instead, he decided to beat the players in their portfolio, an approach he believes is a major obstacle to violence.

As a result of the players, seven times this season, Stein failed to be suspended without pay on the days of non-moving game. In other words, practice.

A new approach to non-game suspension to put them out of the game, but Stein does not offer any excuses. "The process is blocked and the observation of the previous system does not seem to do a good job of preventing it," he said.

For example, Bernie Nicholls of the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens forward Mike Keene have both been fined at the beginning of the 1992-93 season to "excessive stickwork." Nicholls was suspended seven days, Keane was banned for four - days, not games.

They do not miss any games.

The policy had some really high-profile supporters:

Among them are lining up behind Stein Vancouver GM and coach Pat Quinn and Hartford general manager Brian Burke. "I think the answer to this loss of money is going to draw your attention," said Quinn.

"If we pay $ 100 per seat, people deserve to see the 20 best players," said Burke.

Oh, one wonders how he feels about Burki now ...

Burke took the additional discipline, when Stein was replaced by Gary Bettman, in 1993. Davie Shoalts Globe & Mail:

According to Stein, who resigned in disgrace from the NHL after he was found he had falsified his election to the Hockey Hall of Fame, players were not suspended from playing on the ice for the violations, but served their suspensions for sitting practice.

This had the predictable effect of pleasing no one, critics said that a player does not have to worry about missing any games for things like hitting another player in the head with his cane. And the players hated the system, who also asked to give up his salary during the suspension. The only winners were the charities that received money from player fines.

Fast forward 19 years, the NHL has a policy in place that hurts a team player by removing one of its range and damage to the player by removing his salary for those games.

According to the NHL, there are two formulas for loss of wages during the suspension.

Repeat offenders of the NHL discipline is a process loses additional salary based on the number of games in a season (82). Non-recidivists lost wages based on the number of days in the season (there are 185 this season).

For example, a two-game suspension for a repeat offender will not give 2/185ths of their salary, while the suspension of the same length of a repeat would result in the confiscation of 2/82nds of their salary.

Meanwhile, a player is allowed to practice with your team.

Our argument has always been that it is economic sanctions rather than man-games lost to finish getting the attention of players.

If the NHL suspensions focus on games or fines? Not to continue using the Gillies as a symbol of all the things hanging, but you remember the outcry from the money he lost because of the ban? The New York Islanders nearly passed around a cover plate.

Has there been any of them said: "It is unfair because we do not Treves is 5 minutes every night?" Of course not.

One reason for the discipline to complete the process is so out of the condition of the NHL due to the fact that the mass breaks are a necessity huge fines. CBA Caps player fined $ 2.500, plus the suspension, the highest financial penalty. So we get nonsense like James Wisniewski (Notes) suspended for two games fellatio only pretended to hit him worth $ 79,268.30.

If the NHL had its way, we would probably have something in the spirit of Gil Stein Doctrine: Hit hard economically, and reduce suspensions for them within reason. No need to go 15 games if you can hit someone with a substantial fine.

The NHLPA, of course, has no interest in Brendan Shanahan as a response to the hockey Whammy "Press Your Luck", by hitting them with greater economic sanctions that have in the current process.

Leading to an annual riddles like: "Why does Player X is just a game when James Wisniewski had two for an obscene gesture?"

What makes the balding hockey grounds, as we all pull the hair.

Want to increase the customs of the players in the NHL. As they say in Washington, follow the money.

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