In the dying seconds of the Pittsburgh Penguins victory over the Vancouver Canucks there was an intense scramble in front of the net. The Penguins survived the scramble and were 3-2 victors.
During this sequence Bryan Rust hit Brock Boeser in the head and the fall out from that hit is now known. Rust was suspended by the league for three games.
Hypocritical standard
In a bubble, I do think Rust should be suspended. Players should be held responsible for making head contact even if that wasn’t their intended target. This should be a regular standard and one that actually helps player safety.
However, and this is a big however, it is not the league’s standard based on how they’ve previously doled out punishment. It is certainly not the standard that they hold the Florida Panthers to. I personally find it incredibly hypocritical for Rust to receive the three games while we watch the Panthers hoard player fines or receive no punishment at all for their very frequent recklessness.
No suspensions were given for the following plays
The Penguins can’t even get suspensions, like the one rendered to Bryan Rust, when Sidney Crosby is maliciously targeted.
Subtext of hit
Rust has never been suspended or fined in his 685 game career, as the NHL’s video references. I’m also not certain he was even aiming for Boeser’s head. I think Boeser’s momentum changed Rust’s contact point and led to a bad result
Given the desperation of the play involved I think Rust missed his spot and hit Boeser in the head. I personally don’t believe he wanted to have the head be his principal point of contact. I think the subtext of this specific game situation combined with his past history makes it reasonable to believe he didn’t mean to do it.
The reality is he did do it. If I was running the player safety department I would suspend Rust, too. Although, I would have suspended a ton of other players so far this season that have not been held accountable.
Standard moving forward
If this suspension is a sign of things to come then it is a welcomed change that I invite for the Department of Player Safety. Unfortunately, I don’t believe this to be the case and I think the Penguins are on the wrong end of this decision. It drastically goes against the standard the league has set forth. This is one of the countless reasons why this league is so frustrating to watch and cover. The inconsistency and hypocrisy remains rampant.
The league’s punitive measures remain a results based operation, meaning if there is an injury they will act on it. This does not provide consistency and is not a true deterrent to the players. It should be a process based determination in order to gain the consistency needed for these rulings. How long a player is hurt should not be the main determining factor. Players should be suspended even if the player on the receiving end of an infraction is able to play their next shift.
The exception to this rule is if the Panthers are involved because Greg Campbell is their assistant general manager. Colin Campbell still maintains a powerful position in the league’s office. It is blatant corruption. We know Colin Campbell has abused his position of power to benefit his son when he was a player for the Bruins. There is no doubt it has continued into his executive career now that he is in the front office of the Florida Panthers.
Alas, I have no faith that the Rust suspension is ushering in a new standard. The Penguins were on the wrong end of the league’s hypocritical standard in this particular case. George Parros is a laughable head of the Department of Player Safety and will continue to be. Hiring Greg Campbell seems to be the path forward for NHL teams if you want to avoid any kind of league discipline.
