Why Wasn’t Ovechkin Suspended?

I’m sorry I’m late on this, I’ve been out of town for a week or so. I started writing the “GameDay Poop” today in between shoveling about 3 foot of snow off my roof. I was trying to catch up on what was going on around the NHL when I kept reading about this goal that the Capitals got against the Canadiens that was not counted and quite possibly broke their game winning streak. After finally watching the video I was amazed that Ovechkin left his feet and did a flying elbow into former Penguins Hal Gill and decked him, no penalty called.

I thought surely even though the refs clearly missed a charging penalty and an elbow, Colin Campbell the NHL leading authority on suspensions would have something to say about the matter. Nothing. All I could find was a bunch of Whiny Capital fans complaining that the bad call caused their game winning streak to end. Now this I do not have a problem with as the transient Washington fan has about as much hockey knowledge as a Taco Bell combo platter.   To prove this I bet right now, if they can read this, they are shaking their head in amazement at just finding out that there are elbow penalties called that are not elbows to the head.

I have a problem with the NHL  not looking into this. If you ever wondered why they fight in the NHL, the reason is because the NHL cannot regulate itself. Ovechkin now has that “history” of being a cheap shot artist.  That non “history” that Colin Campbell used as the reason for not suspending Ovechkin the first 10 times he cheap shot someone is no longer applicable. Ovechkin has even been suspended this year for such actions. Once again star status allows a no call, and the NHL players will be forced to police the game themselves.

Most likely the cheap shot Gill received was for the job he did stunting Ovechkin’s offensive abilities in the playoffs last year which eventually sent Ovechkin home to St. Petersburg to cry alone in his hotel room when he found out the Penguins won the cup. That being said the NHL may want to start policing Ovechkin for his own good. Ovechkin now deserves a target on the back the same way Eric Lindros received one because of his cheap shots. I give Ovechkin 2 years before he can no longer play because a player like Darius Kasparaitis will step up and take him out permanently. Deservingly so.

If you missed it, here is the cheap shot: