NHL Dicipline
Posted 10:27 PM ET | Comments 1
The NHL's Dicipline Policy is run without direction or strategy. Decisions are made based on a set of criteria that include the financial impact of players suspended. This has to change, with an eye on hockey criteria and proper process.
I suggest that the NHL's Discipline Policy mimic the one used by our society. Our society has classifications for crimes based on their severity and matched punishments (1st Degree Murder, Manslaughter, Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, etc). I'm not suggesting that anything that has happened in the NHL can be compared to murder, but I want to borrow the system.
Here is the details of my suggestion:
1. Referees would not have the ability to call a 'Match Penalty' alone. They could asses a 'Game Misconduct' penalty, and then at the end of the next period would discuss the situation with the other referee and the game supervisor. This group would be able to assign the 'Match Penalty', and it would include an automatic 1 game suspension above the game that the act occurred in.
2. Upon the assessment of a 'Match Penalty', the incident would be brought to the NHL's discipline officer (or one of many, or a discipline tribunal, etc). The discipline officer would be responsible for classifying the incident, and nothing more. A predefined matrix would be used to assign the suspension. The classification would be based on the ACT, the INTENT, and the IMPACT (see the Murder discussion above). A special classification (called 'Heinous'?) for extremely serious incidents (like 'stomping') would bring the incident to the commissioner.
3. Repeat offenders are hit a lot harder than first-time offenders of course.
4. Maybe most importantly, suspended players are frozen to the team's roster. This means that the team cannot replace the player and the team still has the cap hit to worry about. Call this the 'Flyers Rule'.
What do you think?
I suggest that the NHL's Discipline Policy mimic the one used by our society. Our society has classifications for crimes based on their severity and matched punishments (1st Degree Murder, Manslaughter, Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, etc). I'm not suggesting that anything that has happened in the NHL can be compared to murder, but I want to borrow the system.
Here is the details of my suggestion:
1. Referees would not have the ability to call a 'Match Penalty' alone. They could asses a 'Game Misconduct' penalty, and then at the end of the next period would discuss the situation with the other referee and the game supervisor. This group would be able to assign the 'Match Penalty', and it would include an automatic 1 game suspension above the game that the act occurred in.
2. Upon the assessment of a 'Match Penalty', the incident would be brought to the NHL's discipline officer (or one of many, or a discipline tribunal, etc). The discipline officer would be responsible for classifying the incident, and nothing more. A predefined matrix would be used to assign the suspension. The classification would be based on the ACT, the INTENT, and the IMPACT (see the Murder discussion above). A special classification (called 'Heinous'?) for extremely serious incidents (like 'stomping') would bring the incident to the commissioner.
3. Repeat offenders are hit a lot harder than first-time offenders of course.
4. Maybe most importantly, suspended players are frozen to the team's roster. This means that the team cannot replace the player and the team still has the cap hit to worry about. Call this the 'Flyers Rule'.
What do you think?
Goalies should wear dresses. Referees should write tickets.Park a paddy wagon at the penalty box to haul away players. NHL is fast and physical. Its not a perfect system. NHL is cracking down on goons and should be complimented.NHL has bias toward the Flyers, maybe more now since they dress like morticians.