Leetch

Leetch named manager of player safety for the NHL. Thought he might end up in the NYR organization, maybe as an assistant, but seems he is going to work for the league....

I'm sober, so I'm pretty sure I spelled Leetch correctly....

 

Shanny was a complete imbecile handing out suspensions. Proof you don't make dumb, ex-players people of power in the NHL.

 

No. If he maintained some shred of consistency through his shannabans, instead of copping out and giving them whenever he felt like it (Hagelin got suspended, but that goon who chased down Boyle didn't? I don't really like Boyle, but he was lined up halfway across the ice and charged pretty badly) at least this fan would take him seriously. Instead he makes bonehead decision after bonehead decision. I'm sorry, but he's made too many glaringly bad choices in his tenure as Head up your ass of NHL discipline to have him be even remotely considered as doing a good job.

I get it, that's your point exactly, but he had the opportunity to do something good, and instead, he cowed to Campbell and Bettman, handed out suspensions that didn't need to be, or didn't on some that make you scratch your head in stupefied amazement. He made people hate him. It didn't have to be this way. All he had to do is stay consistent with either his ideals, or the rule book, but he chose to mix and match, and that's what pisses people off. That, and suspend Weber for that face slam, but instead followed the president for non suspensions like Chara, for trying to kill a guy, intentional or not. He balked, and now no one takes him seriously.

 

Nonsense. You can stay consistent. It's very easy to do so. For starters, you stop handing out 1 to 4 game, sissy suspensions for bad hits from behind. Those do nothing. The fact that Pacioretty got no suspension for the McDonagh hit was a joke. That skirt Shanny didn't give him anything because the previous game McDonagh bumped Pacioretty in the boards and he cried about it for days. There are no payback hits from behind. However, with loser Shanny, there is. One of many reasons he's a joke. He gave Neal 1 game when in the playoffs, he tried to deliberately hurt Flyers twice on the same shift.

 

Exactly this. There is no method to his bans, and its shameful. He's a disgrace to the game, and that's the sad truth.

If a Ranger pulls something that is suspension worthy, I fully expect him to be suspended, and won't complain one bit, I really don't care who it is. Could be Lundqvist for all it matters. That's how it works, not based on personal biases, like it is now. I love the game, and I want to see it played right. Gooning is ok to a point, but when its unchecked, it gets out of hand, and that's exactly whats happened in recent history. You break the rules, you sit in the box and feel shame. Then you are free.

 

See that's the trouble. I don't think the Hagelin hit was suspension worthy. To me it looked like an elbowing penalty, but it kinda slid up and made contact with the head. A five minute major, at most. But that's me. I remember a few years back, a Ranger laid a nasty late hit on someone, (I've been trying to remember who for a few days, but I can't. Brashear maybe?) and I was shocked he was only suspended for one game. I thought he should have gotten 2-3 at least. I guess I'm not your typical fan...Don't get me wrong, though, I'd rather watch a low scoring game with lots of chances, clean hitting, and few stoppages. I'm not opposed to a beatdown, either. If its a rout, and the Rangers are winning, I'll still watch the whole game. But, the rules are the rules for a reason, and as a former referee (soccer), I respect them. Shit happens though, and I expect the rules to be enforced properly, and that's where Shannahan fails miserably.

Of course home fans are going to cry about calls that go against them, its the nature of the beast. Unfortunately, Shannahan listens to them more often than not, caving to pressure, or whatever. He's shown time and time again that he is unfit for this job.