While the Capitals waited on word about a possible upheld suspension for Nicklas Backstrom, NHL vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan is making his mark on series all over the Stanley Cup playoffs. In one of the more chaotic postseason in years, supplemental discipline has become all the rage.
It all started when Nashville defenseman Shea Weber smashed the head of Detroit winger Henrik Zetterberg into the end boards during the first game of that series April 11. Yet Shanahan only fined Weber.
Later, New York’s Carl Hagelin’s high hit concussed fellow Swede Daniel Alfredsson in the Rangers-Senators series. Hagelin earned a three-game suspension. So did Chicago center Andrew Shaw for running into Phoenix goalie Mike Smith. And that doesn’t even count expected rulings from Sunday’s wild Penguins-Flyers contest in Philadelphia.
“[Shanahan] has tried to set a standard all season long, what’s going to be tolerated and what’s not going to be tolerated,” Caps winger Troy Brouwer said. “Sometimes the playoffs, because the magnitude of the games and how excited and how hard guys are playing, that obviously goes into his decisions as well.”
– Brian McNally
