Ovechkin Suspended 2 Games for Hit, Cooke, Downie Get Nothing

Alexander Ovechkin has been suspended for 2 games due to a hit on Chicago's Brian Campbell during Sunday's game. This coming in the wake of the Matt Cooke and Steve Downie hits in which both players received ZERO suspension. Let's cut to the chase. I'm pissed. The NHL has messed up big time and it is inexcusable.

Take a look at this hit. Campbell has the puck about one second before Ovechkin hits him so a physical play is still legal in this situation. Ovechkin is skating straight on while Campbell is turning to skate around the net, meaning Ovechkin probably expected Campbell to turn completely which would have made Ovechkin's hit legal. Instead, Ovechkin hits him from behind, which I will readily admit is an illegal play. Watch Campbell's feet when he is hit. One of them lifts up off the ice while the other doesn't move. It certainly appears that either Campbell's skate was stuck in the ice or he was already stumbling when he is hit which may have caused him to fall as awkwardly as he did. Something important to note is what happens after the play: nothing. No retaliation from Chicago against Ovechkin. When a player gets what a team feels is a dirty hit, they try to stand up for their teammate and go after the guy. These situations frequently turn into a brawl, yet no one goes after Ovechkin. Watch Ovechkin's reaction. It's clear he had no intent to hurt Campbell and was shocked that he went down as hard as he did.

My opinion may be biased for Ovechkin, but three analysts at the Chicago game commented that they felt an ejection was unwarranted. I've read several articles on ESPN.com and none of those analysts thought a suspension was warranted either. Still, I could understand why the NHL would suspend him if they had suspended Matt Cooke and Steve Downie who just committed very dangerous hits. Yet, they received nothing and Ovechkin is out. Earlier this month, Cooke skated up to Marc Savard who was not looking, lifted his elbow, and hit him full force in the HEAD. This Sunday Downie skated behind Sidney Crosby who was nowhere near the puck, wrapped himself around Crosby's knee, and took him down. Neither player received even a penalty in game. Wait, what's that? Ovechkin is a repeat offender this season so that should warrant a harsher punishment? Oh, ok, well Colin Campbell, the NHL executive in charge of discipline commented after reviewing Cooke's hit that "I can't suspend Matt Cooke for being a repeat offender, I have to find a reason." Apparently elbowing someone in the head or wrapping around someone's knee in what has to be one of the cheapest, dirtiest, most dangerous plays I have ever seen isn't enough of a reason.

Some may also believe a suspension is warranted because Campbell broke his collar bone as a result of Ovechkin's push. Cooke's latest victim, Marc Savard, received a grade 2 concussion and is out for the rest of the season. Downie's hit on Crosby luckily did not result in any injury, but it easily could have sidelined him for the season or longer. So now it's open season for headhunters to hit whomever they please where ever they please as long as it's not in the back and the other player doesn't get anything worse than a concussion. That policy is going to lead to a lot of dirty plays and some serious injuries.

Not only is this a dangerous precedent for the NHL, but it is unfair to Ovechkin who has had to face criticism that he is a dirty player all season long. Being a fanatical Caps fan, I have studied Ovechkin's play extensively and can say without a doubt that he is not a dirty player. I have never seen him hit someone with the intent to injure. He's like the big kid in the playground who sometimes hurts other kids not because he's mean or a bully, but because he doesn't know he's bigger than the other kids. Ovechkin skated up to a 200+ lbs. professional athlete and pushed him with his arms, not even a full on body check, and the guy goes flying into the boards. He plays with reckless abandon and while he clearly needs to learn when to pull back on the reins, he never means to hurt anyone.

So while players are being elbowed, tripped, speared, blindsided, and wheeled off in gurneys, Colin Campbell is patrolling against the menace that is Alexander Ovechkin. With that philosophy it may be safer for NHL players to play in the middle of a highway than in the NHL.