Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby
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.
The latest occurrence that has led to a lot of discourse is the five-game suspension handed out to Anaheim’s Radko Gudas for a knee-on-knee hit against Toronto captain Auston Matthews, who had surgery and is out for the season.
That was the same length of suspension given to Penguins center Evgeni Malkin recently for a high slash against Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin. In addition, it was a hit by Gudas in the Olympics that sidelined Crosby for four weeks.
“It’s been talked about for a number of days, but it’s hard as a player,” Crosby said Friday after the Penguins practiced at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. “It seems inconsistent. I’m sure they have a process, and I think they’ve stated that, but with that process, there seems to be some inconsistencies. I think that’s the hard part.”
Fellow NHL megastar Connor McDavid of Edmonton recently voiced his concern over the disciplinary process.
“If every time there’s a suspension, everybody complains about it, why don’t we take a look at the process and figure out if there’s a better way to make sure both parties are happy?” McDavid said. “It seems like there’s a lot of frustration there.”
At the recent general managers’ meeting, head of the Department of Player Safety George Parros defended the process.
“We sweat over these decisions and pour over these decisions every night, all season long,” Parros said during a press conference. “We have a process in place that’s 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.
“Not 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’ve got great guys who make these decisions, and I think the players should be confident in this team to do so.”
Bettman sided with Parros and noted that the players did not push for changes in the most recent CBA talks.
McDavid, asked about Parros’ comments, stood firm.
“I said what I said a couple days ago. Obviously, the league disagrees, and that’s fine,” McDavid said. “But, you know, as I said, there’s obviously frustration from the players. Every single time one of these things comes up, I think everyone kind of voices that.”
Crosby agreed with McDavid that criticism of or displeasure with the process seems to be widespread.
“I think it’s always been like that. I think playing for a long time, I don’t think you’re ever going to find someone who’s going to agree on every suspension, the length and things like that,” Crosby said.
“I thought with Geno (Malkin)’s being as recent as it was and then (the Gubas suspension) happening, I thought it was inconsistent.
“There’s a process for a reason. It the league believes in that process and feels like they’ve done it to the best extent possible, then fine. I don’t know the exact details of what they go through, but it seems inconsistent.”
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