There’s a new sheriff in the NHL and he’s on a mission to clean up a league’s image that has soured over the past decade. Players are quickly learning that former Detroit Red Wings' star Brendan Shanahan – hired in June as the league’s new chief disciplinarian – is a force to be reckoned with.
In a span of 10 days, Shanahan suspended nine players for a total of 28 pre-season games and 31 regular season games – and that’s only in pre-season action.
James Wisniewski of the Columbus Blue Jackets has already felt Shanahan's wrath, receiving an eight-game suspension for a check to the head.
It’s clear that he is keen on sending a message to NHL players, one that his predecessor Colin Campbell failed to get across: headshots and hits from behind don’t belong in the game.
Off the ice, Shanahan delivers hope of a better future with less controversy over serious injuries.
He’s one of the most respected men in hockey right now and part of that is because of his ability to hand out punishment promptly and, most important, decisively. His video explanations of each and every disciplinary action give players a concrete idea of what is and what isn’t acceptable.
On the ice, Shanahan’s iron fist already seems to be changing the way the game is being played.
Some suggest that players are starting to think twice before driving a player head-first into the boards from behind, while defensemen are becoming a little more hesitant to put their shoulder into a player’s head as he receives a pass across the blue line.
This season we’ll likely see a significant decline in the number of serious head injuries, not just in the NHL but at all levels of hockey. Most in the hockey world would say it’s about time.
But why has it taken this long for the NHL to get with the program? Too many times we’ve seen vicious shots to the head with clear intent to injure go unpunished.
As with any other sport, in order for the rules to be followed they need to be enforced consistently. Campbell was never very articulate in his disciplinary rulings, nor was he ever consistent either.
When a player gets off with a slap on the wrist for an illegal hit, à la Matt Cooke’s blatant open-ice shoulder to the head of Marc Savard in 2010, he’s likely to do it again. Since the ugly incident that left Savard with a career-threatening concussion, Cooke has been a repeat offender.
These are the types of things Shanahan is trying to eliminate.
Since Sidney Crosby held a press conference in September alongside his doctors and general manager to update fans on his recovery status, hockey’s biggest name has taken positive steps toward returning to game action. This month he’s been cleared to take part in non-contact drills with his team, while he’s also traveling with teammates to start the regular season. While these are positive signs, it’s still up in the air when doctors will clear him to handle contact.
It’s funny how the brain works sometimes. Last season, Maple Leafs’ forward Mikhail Grabovski appeared woozy when he fell to the ice after having his head smashed into the boards by Boston Bruins’ giant Zdeno Chara. Grabovski not only stayed in the game but scored a highlight-reel game-winning goal, showing no effects from the blow to his head.
Yet the hit that brought Crosby to the ice looked harmless. It happened behind the play when Capitals’ forward David Steckel inadvertently clipped Crosby from behind while trying to move up ice
This shows that there’s no exact science to preventing head injuries in hockey. But Shanahan is on the right track.
The league is trying to erase from the minds of fans images of the best player in the world grimacing on the ice in pain during last year’s Winter Classic.
It’s a long and treacherous road to reinventing an NHL that is safer and less controversial in the eyes of fans, but the league’s new disciplinarian brings optimism to a league that needs it now more than ever.
Old school skeptics argue that Shanahan wants to remove the physical aspect from hockey, but that's not the case. He only wants to eliminate dangerous hits.
These changes won't remove hitting from the game. Fans have to remember that there's a difference between cheap shots and clean physical play.
Shanahan gives the NHL a long-term solution for its problems rather than a band-aid, if fans are willing to be patient.
If there’s one thing Shanahan has already made sure of, it’s that the league’s worst offenders better start looking for a new way to play the game.