After Chris Neil head checked Chris Drury, the overwhelming majority of GMs opined that a shoulder check to the head that violated no other rules should be as legal as a shoulder check to the chest. This is the consequence.

With respect to the Richards hit on Booth, it was a mistake to give him a penalty. He didn’t violate any rules. The check wasn’t late enough to constitute interference.

I think Colin Campbell has made many questionable decisions regarding suspensions in the past, perhaps the worst being the suspension of Sean Avery for his sloppy-seconds remark. In this case, however, I think he got it right.

You got it right on – consistency does in fact meet ignorance. For Campbell to stand behind a microphone and say that he has to be consistent is utterly shocking. There is ZERO consistency in any of his suspensions (again, think Laraque vs Boogaard), and now at this most crucial time he trots out consistency as justification for his inaction? It’s time for Campbell to go, he’s clearly lost his ability to handle the functions of his job.

That he was able to immediately implement the “Avery dance” rule, while not being able to amend the blindside headshot rule right away is gobsmackingly stupid.

It’s days like yesterday and today that make me ashamed to be an NHL fan.

I’ll go on record and say this now: another head shot will occur between now and the end of the season, and more egg will splatter all over the league’s face.

Meanwhile, we can rest assured that Bettman and Campbell will be at the Bruins-Penguins rematch next week and will issue warnings to both teams for no funny business. To compound matters and further embarrass the league, half of the fans will decry this as the league’s desperate attempt to make sure the Bruins don’t exact any vengeance on Crosby or Malkin.

Its a bad hit, and one that was deserving of a suspension. Cooke didn’t cross two zip codes to get to Savard like Richards did which is where the difference in “intent to injur” on behalf of the officials lay.

Joe you know me and where I come from. I think Cooke deserved 4 games for it. I thought Richards did too. I just don’t see the intent to make the guy leave on a stretcher that so many are crediting to Cooke. He is being goated a little due to the tone of the GM meetings this week. Colin Campbell is a moron with his argument of consistency when Cooke was handed time for his hit on Anisimov earlier this year and is a no doubt repeat offender in the eyes of the league. This hit was worse than the Anisimov hit but lets temper it with the fact that he did not lead with the elbow. This is not blatant intent like Cormier.

Concussions are serious enough. It seems like the NHL is the ONLY league that doesn’t already have a rule put in place, Cooke’s non-suspension is just a clear indication that the league doesn’t really care about protecting its players, so long as the league is getting free publicity.