Cowardly 'Cane Dodges Suspension

Come on up, take a spin on the Colin Campbell Wheel of Penalties. As if the inconsistencies of the NHL's first round didn't drive you crazy enough, there's more. Sure, Campbell served out some rightful justice by suspending Donald Brashear for his Game 6 actions against the New York Rangers, but that doesn't right all the wrongs he's made thus far in the NHL Playoffs. Perhaps his biggest mistake was made today, as we were informed that Hurricanes forward Scott Walker will in fact, not be suspended for Game 6 against Boston.

Last night during the Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 5 in Boston, with just over 2 minutes left in the game Scott Walker gave Aaron Ward a clear as day sucker punch. Ward, obviously wasn't willing to engage in a fight and in my opinion wasn't expecting the punch. As Ward dropped to the ice due to the punch, mayhem ensued as Milan Lucic gave it his all to get his hands on Walker. Walker was assessed a 5 minute major (As was Ward somehow, how you get a 5 minute major for fighting when you don't throw a punch is beyond me, but hey, who am I, right?), 2 minute minor for instigating and 10 minute misconduct. As NHL rules state, a player who gets the instigator penalty within 5 minutes of the game's end is subject to a one game suspension from the following game. However, the NHL rulebook means nothing to NHL V.P Colin Campbell.

Campbell decided to rescind the suspension issued to Walker, and instead hit him with a 2,500 dollar fine. Essentially, that's nothing to a guy who makes 2.5 million dollars a season. I'm sure that 1% loss of his salary will really teach him a lesson, good job Campbell. Perhaps the part that gets me most angry as a hockey fan is the fact that Ward's status for Game 6 is unknown as it's possible he suffered a broken orbital bone on the punch, meanwhile that coward known as Scott Walker gets to play. Perhaps even more sickening than the actual punch itself, is the quotes coming out of the Carolina camp today.

“Scott probably has sore knuckles,” 'Canes coach Paul Maurice said following the 4-0 loss last night. Funny, considering if the roles were reversed and Shawn Thornton were to strike Joe Corvo, Dennis Seidenberg or Joni Pitkanen in the face you know Maurice wouldn't be cracking jokes. However, the yapping from Carolina doesn't just end with Maurice; "After our team received several punches throughout the series leading up to Game 5, it was a matter of time before one was going to be thrown back." said Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford. I'd honestly love to know what 'punches' he's referring to as the Bruins haven't gotten into any fights before Game 5 and there's been little to no face-washing in this entire series.

There's no doubt that the Hub of Hockey is surely frustrated with Campbell's ruling considering his recent disciplinarian actions against Milan Lucic in the first round of the playoffs. If you recall, Lucic was suspended for a "forceful blow to the head" of Canadiens center and pest Maxim Lapierre. One must ask, how was Walker's punch to the face not deemed forceful?

However, don't expect the man in red wearing the number 24 to get off easy tomorrow night. He's angered the entire Bruins roster and will surely have a target on his back. On top of Walker's actions, another player likely to be targeted for trashings and hard hits by the Black and Gold is Jussi Jokinen, who's slash to the back of Zdeno Chara's leg gave a scare to the entire Bruins roster, coaches and fans. As the Bruins are to commit their clean, but swift action of vigilante justice one thing's for sure, this series has officially gotten nasty, and it couldn't have happened at a better time.