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Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
You can add Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby to the list of those who see some issues with the way the NHL Department of Player Safety dishes out supplemental discipline to players.<\/p>\n
The latest occurrence that has led to a lot of discourse is the five-game suspension handed out to Anaheim\u2019s Radko Gudas for a knee-on-knee hit against Toronto captain Auston Matthews, who had surgery and is out for the season.<\/p>\n
That was the same length of suspension<\/a> given to Penguins center Evgeni Malkin <\/a>recently for a high slash against Buffalo\u2019s Rasmus Dahlin. In addition, it was a hit by Gudas in the Olympics that sidelined Crosby for four weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been talked about for a number of days, but it\u2019s hard as a player,\u201d Crosby said Friday after the Penguins practiced at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. \u201cIt seems inconsistent. I\u2019m sure they have a process, and I think they\u2019ve stated that, but with that process, there seems to be some inconsistencies. I think that\u2019s the hard part.\u201d<\/p>\n Fellow NHL megastar Connor McDavid of Edmonton recently voiced his concern over the disciplinary process.<\/p>\n \u201cIf every time there\u2019s a suspension, everybody complains about it, why don\u2019t we take a look at the process and figure out if there\u2019s a better way to make sure both parties are happy?\u201d McDavid said. \u201cIt seems like there\u2019s a lot of frustration there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0At the recent general managers\u2019 meeting, head of the Department of Player Safety George Parros defended the process.<\/p>\n \u201cWe sweat over these decisions and pour over these decisions every night, all season long,\u201d Parros said during a press conference. \u201cWe have a process in place that\u2019s consistent, and we have a team that works for me, and together with me, that evaluates all these plays. A very experienced team, a veteran team. Guys who have been there since the beginning of the department.<\/p>\n \u201cNot to mention all the former players who have a large set of experiences playing NHL games and accolades. Some of the best guys who have played the game work for this department, helping make decisions. So, our process, I feel very confident in. We\u2019ve got great guys who make these decisions, and I think the players should be confident in this team to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n Bettman sided with Parros and noted that the players did not push for changes in the most recent CBA talks.<\/p>\n McDavid, asked about Parros\u2019 comments, stood firm.<\/p>\n \u201cI said what I said a couple days ago. Obviously, the league disagrees, and that\u2019s fine,\u201d McDavid said. \u201cBut, you know, as I said, there\u2019s obviously frustration from the players. Every single time one of these things comes up, I think everyone kind of voices that.\u201d<\/p>\n Crosby agreed with McDavid that criticism of or displeasure with the process seems to be widespread.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s always been like that. I think playing for a long time, I don\u2019t think you\u2019re ever going to find someone who\u2019s going to agree on every suspension, the length and things like that,\u201d Crosby said.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought with Geno (Malkin)\u2019s being as recent as it was and then (the Gubas suspension) happening, I thought it was inconsistent.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a process for a reason. It the league believes in that process and feels like they\u2019ve done it to the best extent possible, then fine. I don\u2019t know the exact details of what they go through, but it seems inconsistent.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: NHL Department of Player Safety<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> Sidney Crosby<\/a> <\/p>\n