PITTSBURGH — The NHL’s decision not to suspend, or even hold a hearing, on Ryan Callahan’s dangerous hit on Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang makes it appear as if there is too much emphasis on whether the victim suffered a significant injury.
Letang was down for a lengthy period during the first period of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against Tampa Bay, and then went to the dressing room for further examination. But he returned to play later in the period and ended up logging more than 26 minutes.
If Letang had not returned to the game, would Callahan have been suspended? It sure feels as if he would have been.
Unquestionably, the extent of the injury has to be weighed in judging these incidents. The due process that is followed in these cases is similar to what we see in the U.S. justice system, and the victim’s health is always a factor in the prosecution and sentencing in its cases.
If you assault someone, and he or she is uninjured, you are going to be in far less jeopardy than you would be if you had caused bodily harm.
It’s a logical approach, but it is starting to feel in the NHL justice system the health of the victim is now the paramount concern, rather than a factor.
If we want to be committed to removing these dangerous plays from the game, we can’t have players believing, even for a second, that they will always escape punishment if the victim isn’t severely injured.
Whether or not Letang was hurt, this was a dangerous hit. The Callahan hit is a hit we want to eliminate from the game. Coincidentally, Letang was suspended for one game against Washington because he delivered a dangerous hit. On that play, the victim wasn't injured severely. In the last series, Washington defenseman Brooks Orpik received a three-game suspension. His hit caused an injury that took Pittsburgh defenseman Olli Maatta out of the lineup.
Callahan said after the game that he was trying “pin him” on the forecheck.
“He turns at the last second. I’m committed,” Callahan explained. “When he turns his head, his body is pretty low … in that split second, I can’t really make a decision.”
While Callahan’s argument has merit, it seem as if he had enough time to mitigate the damage he was inflicting. While Letang may have known he left himself vulnerable, the onus has now been put on the checker to avoid a heavy hit when the player is vulnerable. Callahan had to know that Letang was vulnerable.
He received a five-minute major penalty. He deserved to receive an accompanying game misconduct.
The fact that he wasn’t ejected now makes the lack of suspension seem like Callahan got off far too lightly.
This is not to suggest that Callahan was headhunting or had a desire to hurt Letang. He is known for playing the game aggressively and fairly. The incident was a hockey play that evolved into a dangerous hit.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan refused to be drawn into the debate that has raged on social media sites about what was fair in this case.
“I don’t have thoughts or observations,” Sullivan said. “The NHL is going to do their job, and we are going to do ours. We are just going to play hockey.”
Other hits in that game are also under the microscope. Tampa Bay forward Ondrej Palat received a two-minute penalty for checking Brian Doumoulin from behind. Doumoulin’s head was driven into the boards, and his status for Game 2 is unknown.
But with Callahan skating away with no suspension, how can you even talk about that hit?
