The only highlight of this half season of non-hockey was when Ryan Kesler tweeted “Yooo” at me. For 17 minutes I felt like a teenaged girl who was just retweeted by Justin Bieber. But the limerence was short-lived. There was still no hockey.

Unfortunately, all I’m left with at the end of this year in regards to hockey is a short list of jerks who irked me in one way or another. So without fanfare, here is my list of Biggest Dickheads Of 2012 in the world of hockey:

Gary Bettman and the NHL

Gary, Gary, Gary. What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this Supreme Dickhead and the owners who’ve once again fucked over fans, the league and all those who make a living from NHL games all over North America. For months hockey writers have been busy writing articles predicting when the NHL season would begin, all of them as wrong as the Mayan calendar predicting when the world would end. Day after day my Gregorian calendar keeps reminding me of hockey games that will never take place, and day after day my aversion for Bettman grows. I’m now forced to stay up half the night just to watch World Junior Championship hockey, which is nice, but not nearly as satisfying as watching my favorite team and players on the ice. Plus, the crazy hours and lack of sleep is making me even crankier.

You may wonder why Donald Fehr isn’t on my dickheads list, because every time I bitch about Bettman I get a few “don’t forget Donald Fehr” replies. While Fehr may carry some of the blame for the continual breakdown in negotiations, I feel Bettman and the owners he represents are largely to blame. The players felt they were royally screwed over after the last lockout, so it’s not surprising that they’re holding their ground more firmly this time around to avoid a repeat.

Paul Bissonnette and the BizNasties

For someone who is a hockey celebrity, makes millions, has a privileged life and relishes his bad-boy image, you’d think Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) from the Coyotes could handle the occasional insult lobbed at him on Twitter with a little bit of maturity and humor. Instead he sometimes lashes out at his target with digs and barbs that are cruel and personal at times, putting the “nasty” in BizNasty.

While chatting with a few people about a recent BizNasty Twitter tantrum, I called him an “insufferable prick” and a “spoiled brat.” Both, I think, accurate assessments of his behavior on Twitter. He happened to notice, made a snarky comment and then re-tweeted my tweet to his legion of mouth-breathing accolytes who proceeded to pelt me with a barrage of hateful, homophobic comments. For three days. I’m a big boy and no stranger to anti-gay taunts and bullying, so, I took my lumps and Paul got his pound of flesh out of me by letting others do the dirty work for him.

A few people tried to convince me that Paul is a cool guy in person, and perhaps he is, but, he and some of his followers are definitely gigantic dickheads on Twitter.

Ryan Lambert

Ryan (@twolinepass) is a hockey blogger for Yahoo Sports who’s Twitter bio reads, “your favorite team sucks, your favorite player sucks, you suck.” He’s a self-described troll who prods and provokes others with outrageous comments and juvenile name-calling, like Beavis & Butthead, but a lot less funny. His fawning over BizNasty, who’s sophomoric antics are regularly featured in his posts on Yahoo Sports with loving adulation, might make you a little squeamish.

You’d think someone as sharp-tongued as he — who frequently refers to people as “dumbasses,” “assholes,” and “shitlords” — wouldn’t be as thin-skinned as his Nasty idol. But after sparring a few times with Ryan on Twitter, he eventually blocked me because I “shit-talk” him all the time. This is clearly a person who is as humorless as his posts on Twitter, and who takes himself a wee bit too seriously.

While I actually agree with Ryan about lots of political and social issues, he needs to lighten up or get off the ice if he can’t handle the body checks he likes to dish out.

Tim Thomas

This starts to veer into that taboo topic of politics. But it’s only because Tim Thomas, former goaltender for the Boston Bruins, put his Tea Party politics front and center over the past year by making his disdain for President Obama and support of Chick-fil-A’s anti-gay stance publicly known.

When heaped with criticism, he pulled the prima-donna routine. He refused to answer questions or cut interviews short and stormed away as soon as he was asked to comment further about his political views. Then he bailed on the Bruins and decided to take a year off from professional hockey. In light of the current lockout, that may not have been such a bad idea, but, in the eyes of many Bruins fans he went from being a superstar to a colossal dickhead.

@Strombone1

I know I’m going to get hell from other Canucks fans for this one. But I find this mysterious @strombone1 Twitter account that is not Luongo, but actually is, but isn’t, tedious and dickish.

If it really is you, Roberto, then just come out of your Twitter closet already and stop playing this ridiculous game of hide-and-seek. It may have been cute and fun for a year or two, but, now it’s just downright annoying and creepy because most people now believe it’s actually you, so, why keep up the silly charade? What are you afraid of? Plenty of other celebrities bigger than you are on Twitter being jackasses, but you are actually funny. Or do you want to be the Greta Garbo of goalies?

Luongo and his wry sense of humor would get a shit-ton more followers, and wouldn’t have to beg dickheads like BizNasty to follow him, if he kept tweeting what he tweets now using a verified account. Otherwise, the ambiguously anonymous goalie gig is getting old.

Shapsters

You’ve seen them on Twitter incessantly using their concocted word “shap” and calling people they dislike “milts” or referring to others as “b” (e.g., you mad, b?).

I call them Shapsters. They think they are hip and cool, but they are just irritatingly cliquey. No one really knows what the hell they’re talking about most of the time. They have tweetups they call “shapups” and created the eye-roll-inducing “Shapys” which apparently gives out awards for who knows what, probably Miltiest Shapper or something equally dopey. Even Luongo (as strombone1) is parroting this shap crap and has become their Patron Saint of Shap. Shapsters, just close your bazoo already.

Don Cherry

Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerCBC) is a hockey legend and a legendary curmudgeon who says some pretty outrageous shit on national TV here in Canada.

He calls people he disagrees with “pukes” or “pinkos,” and his disdain for French-Canadians and Europeans is well known. He’s also an advocate for fighting in hockey and openly railed against Brendan Shanahan for cracking down on it with severe suspensions, as well as a few former hockey enforcers who spoke out against fighting. The backlash he received for being such a dick forced him to make a rare apology on the air a week later.

Cherry’s one redeeming quality is that he has a sense of humor about himself. Anyone who wears Elton John hand-me-downs on TV to talk about hockey doesn’t take himself too seriously (perhaps Ryan Lambert should start wearing obnoxious clothing, too). It’s why people either love him or hate him. He may be a dickhead but at least he’s an entertaining one.

Christopher R. Barron

The last, but not least, dickhead is Chris Barron (@ChrisRBarron), co-founder of GOProud, the gay Republican organization that supported Mitt Romney and his anti-gay party platform in the recent U.S. Presidential election. Believe it or not, Chris is gay. He also happens to be a hockey fan who likes the Pittsburgh Penguins, a good hockey team with one of my favorite players, the delightfully dreamy Sid Crosby.

Chris doesn’t seem to have a problem interacting with the hateful conservative zealots of his chosen political party, such as their official “Gay Icon” Anne Coulter. But when it comes to debating fellow hockey-loving homos about his questionable support for politicians who’d prefer that gays stay in the closet, he can’t handle it and blocks us, including PuckBuddys. Oh the lively, chirpy political and hockey debates that could have been if he weren’t such a GOPathetic dickhead.

1. Play Nude Kesler Dress-Up

While I would never advocate putting clothes on a fine-looking nude athlete, just think how adorable Ryan would look in a Western or 70’s Disco ensemble. The Nude Kesler Dress-Up kit would be like that magnetized version of Michelangelo’s David with cute little outfits that you put on your refrigerator. I think the Canucks should seriously consider doing the same with Nude Kesler. I’d buy 10 of them. Although he’d mostly remain nude on my fridge. Schwing!

2. Pin The Tail on The Bettman

This is an updated version of the party game popular with kids called “Pin The Tail On The Donkey.” Blindfolded NHL players would be made dizzy with offers and counter-offers from NHL owners, and then try to pin the collective bargaining tail on Gary Bettman’s ass. Oh what jollity would ensue! This would be followed up with NHL players attempting to split open a Bettman piñata by beating it with hockey sticks, releasing 7.5 million dollars worth of candy! Hours and hours of fun!

3. Dinner at Chick-fil-A With Tim Thomas

Now that Tim Thomas has decided to take a year off from being a goalie with the Boston Bruins in order to avoid having to meet with black Presidents, he’s got lots of time to spend over long, lavish meals with his gays. No, not at that liberal, socialist, latte-serving eatery called McDonald’s with their snooty French fries. Tim only eats at conservative, manly, peach milkshake-serving Chick-fil-A. I can’t wait to gaze lovingly into Tim’s eyes while eating god-fearing chicken sandwiches and all-American waffle fries while planning our gay wedding. I think we’d look fabulous in matching tinfoil tophats as we walk down the aisle together.

4. Bear Hunting with David Booth

I heard David Booth has a thing for bears, and that he likes to spend long weekends wandering around in the woods harpooning them with his long, pointy stick. What fun! But I think I’ll take David to The Pumpjack here in Vancouver instead, where you can lure leather-clad bears into your lair with delicious pints of beer instead of stinky, rotting beaver offal. Ewww!

5. Clothes Shopping with Don Cherry

Now, I don’t mind a flashy dresser, but, Don Cherry really takes it to a whole new level of terrifying, wardrobe-malfunctioning madness. That straight guy is in desperate need of a queer eye. So, I plan to take him on a whirlwind shopping trip to International Male for a more tasteful wardrobe of leopard-print bikini briefs and full-body thongs. I may even throw in a pair of luxurious lambs-wool leg-warmers for that retro Flashdance look. Snazzy!

6. Teach Cory Schneider New Impressions

Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider has impressed us with his uncanny impressions of Alex Burrows, Jannik Hansen and Alain Vigneault. But I don’t think he should limit himself to fellow teammates of the male persuasion, especially if he want’s a backup career in case this goalie thing doesn’t work out. So, I’ve got an entire weekend workshop planned to teach Cory how to impersonate a few famous female stars, such a Cher, Liza and Bette Davis. Maybe we’ll even do a few scenes from All About Eve with Cory as the young apprentice and Luongo as the aging star. Fasten your pushup bra, Cory, it’s going to be a campy ride!

7. Gatorade-Chugging Contest with Dustin Brown

I know that LA Kings captain Dustin Brown has been busy eating fro-yo out of the Stanley Cup all summer long, but, I’m sure the brain-freeze has made him forget that he’s directionally-challenged when it comes to drinking from a Gatorade squeezy bottle. Wouldn’t it be a hoot to challenge Dustin to a Gatorade-chugging contest? I’m sure I could win enough money to buy Dale Weise a box of Gatorade bottles with securely-fastened caps.

8. Diving Lessons with Brad Marchand

I know lots of hockey fans accuse certain members of the Canucks team of being excellent divers, but, having watched countless hours of diving during the London Olympics this summer, I’m confident that the gold medal in Hockey Diving would go to Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins. He exhibited exquisite form and technique during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Washington Capitals. So, who better to take diving lessons from than sweet, little Brad! He might even be able to teach British diving vixen Tom Daley a thing or two so he can turn that bronze into gold in 2016. Win/Win!

9. Pee Wee Glow-Bowling with Jonathan Toews

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews takes his pee wee bowling seriously. It’s not easy knocking down those tiny little hockey pins when there are at least a dozen of them wobbling around on the ice in all directions. But I think I might have a better chance at beating him at Pee Wee Glow-Bowling. That’s when the bowling rink is turned into a gay disco and all the little pee wee pins are clad in fluorescent ensembles chosen by Don Cherry! Then it’s much easier to see them and flatten them before they can scurry away. Strrrrrrike!

10. Make a Music Video with Alex Ovechkin

When I think of Hip-Hop, I immediately think of Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. Who better to make a “Rockout To The Lockout” music video than a gap-toothed Russian hockey player who can’t dance his way out of a Mr. Big Deal candy wrapper. But his bounce-and-shuffle dance moves with stiff horizontal jazz-hands could use some work. So I’m hiring the two Pussy Riot girls that escaped from Russia to help with choreography. I just hope our video isn’t banned for 100 years by that grouch, Vladimir Putin. He needs to lighten the fuck up. But I’m sure I can coax an award-winning performance out of Alex. Move over Vanilla Ice!

Do you have any special plans should there be an NHL lockout? Be sure to send me a postcard! XO

Today, I sit down with everyone’s favorite THN writer, Adam Proteau. Adam has been with The Hockey News since 1999, and serves as the radio host for their show on XM.  This interview is a follow-up on Adam’s book that came out this year, Fighting the Good Fight, which is available for purchase here. This interview also serves as a counterpoint to my trilogy on fighting, the first part of which is available here. Without any further adieu, here we go!

VP: Your most recent book, Fighting the Good Fight, is it fair to view this as a symbolic response to Ross Bernstein’s The Code?

AP: You can interpret it any way you like, but I didn’t intend it as a rebuttal of The Code, which I haven’t read. I wrote it as a polemic intended to challenge the core assumptions and what I believe to be the dogma of the hockey world. Much of that includes the so-called Code, something I just don’t believe in. But other elements of the book deal with the hockey culture surrounding visors and concussions, which obviously aren’t Code-connected.

Bertuzzi – Moore “On Ince Depravity”

VP: As a mere pup at the time, the Bertuzzi-Moore Assault which you discussed in-depth literally changed the way I viewed the sport’s issues with player control. Is it fair to describe that as a watershed moment in the way the league regarded the severity to which on ice incidents could escalate?

AP: No, to be honest, I don’t think NHL management and ownership has arrived at that moment. The nonsense between the Isles and Penguins in 2011 showed how things can still escalate, yet the league more or less shrugs its shoulders. That said, the Bertuzzi/Moore incident could still have an influence on policy, as Moore’s court case this fall will bring the league and game under an unforgiving and unsympathetic light.

VP: In my response to your book, I labeled Don Cherry a War Profiteer given his good old hockey game mentality and the substantial income he made off fights while he now bashes the fighters who want to see reforms. Do you feel that’s an accurate portrayal of Cherry and his ilk? Your thoughts on their demonization of former enforcers who have spoken out, i.e., Grimson, Thompson and Laraque?

AP: I don’t know I’d use that exact term, but I agree with the overall characterization of him as someone who profits immensely off the style of hockey he so fervently touts. He has to be credited for being a savvy businessman, but as an ambassador to the sport some people claim him to be, he’s been an abject disaster. Good ambassadors don’t scapegoat entire groups of people simply to build themselves up in the eyes of one particular group of people. And the fact he lashes out at anyone who dissents from his views is an indication of how much he must fear having them seriously questioned. He has been more of a hindrance than help to the overall game.

VP: You talked quite a bit about your rough and tumble past in the sport, and I get the notion of being a “changed man”, but are you going to tell me that if someone recklessly boarded one of your friends in a game tomorrow you wouldn’t want to drop the gloves? That’s where the problem lies for me. I have no problem with a clean, honest fight in response to something that occurs during the flow of the game. I left with the impression you don’t either. You’ve been on the bench after a fight. Can you deny it gets everyone going? Do you think even ‘hockey reformists’ accept it as part of the game?

AP: Hey, there’s no denying the visceral thrill of sticking up for a teammate. But you could say the same in any sport, if those sports allowed it. Who wouldn’t want to smack around Ron Artest after his elbow to the back of an opponent’s head? But the NBA draws a line, and that doesn’t mean that fights don’t still happen there. But they are punished appropriately, it is a means of last resort. And that’s what I’d like to see more of in hockey.

Right now, it’s institutionalized as a first resort, partly because leagues refuse to do their duty and curb dirty play overall, and partly because there’s a financial industry built around it. So if, one day, we get to a point where pro hockey players can still fight, but only if it’s really worth it, because a game misconduct will follow, as will increasing suspensions for repeat offenders I’ll be happy.

VP: Fighting aside, I come down on the league for It’s failure to look “big picture” at its subtle evolutions. We now have faster players,stronger players, more imperviously equipped guys flying around without a redline slamming into each other at full speed. All these factors have led to a staggering uptick in concussions as the league has moved to a speed/offense dominated game. Is it time to rein it in? What should be done? Are we looking at the restoration of the red line, no touch icing, the removal of the trapezoid, and wholesale equipment reforms? Which of these things (or something else) do you think we’ll see implemented out of the next CBA?

AP: I think there’s an argument to be made for slowing the game down a little, and I’m all for that, so long as obstruction standards (that continue to slide) get back to where they were in 2005-06. But overall, there has to be more emphasis placed on player safety: visors, increased sit-out times for concussion victims, perhaps independent team doctors. There are lots of choices and options that I explore in more depth in my book. But until that is made more of a priority than money (which will be by far the biggest priority in the next labor deal), we’ll see NHL team owners continue their long pattern of putting profit before the talent on the ice.

Matt Martin NHL’s leading Hitman

VP: In the opening few chapters of your book, you really slammed my team, the New York Islanders for their role in the fracas of February 11, 2011. What would you say to my assessment that (NHL hits leader) Matt Martin is a hard-nosed but mostly clean player and the same goes for Mike Haley (who is basically a reincarnated Steve Webb). Furthermore, it has been my contention that the league’s failure to get the Pens in line in games and seasons prior was a contributing factor to that brawl (with the Talbot hit on Comeau and the Ponikarasky board on Bailey just two examples at my disposal), would you agree with that notion of the league’s culpability?

AP: I think both Martin and Haley are aggressive players who wouldn’t be NHLers prior to the last round of expansion. That’s not to say they’re horrible people, or that they can’t rise above their station, but let’s not try to paint them as saints, either. But yes, I would say the league could have stepped in at any point early in the developing feud and nipped things in the bud. That they chose not to says it all. They want these kinds of things happening, but their definition of “too far” is nebulous.

VP: I contend that Shanahan’s transparency is the most important thing about his administration. He has a thankless job, but explaining to players and fans the rationale for his decisions is the best thing for the league, as it demystifies supplemental discipline. Do you see this as an important step in getting players to trust the league to “handle things” more?

AP: After the roasting Shanahan has taken in the playoffs, I’d argue that his transparency has only made it clear how terrible the NHL’s supplemental discipline policies really are, and why it doesn’t really matter who is in that role so long as owners don’t commit to a tougher stance on acceptable player behavior. After the Shea Weber non-suspension, players went batty for a while, precisely because it showed the league would do nothing to stop egregious actions. That’s why, on one level, I don’t blame these guys for the vigilante justice culture. Clearly, the NHL doesn’t care about justice, which is why the decisions are as baffling under Shanahan as they were under Colin Campbell.

Kerry Fraser “The Hair!”

VP: I felt that ‘holy shit’ metric described by Kerry Fraser is the easiest example to relate to I’ve ever seen described by an official. With the increased scrutiny, do you feel officials are doing a good job enforcing rule 48? Do players (e.g., Travis Hamonic for a phantom elbow on Letang) who get ejected on a dive just have to suck it up and accept the league is going to call anything borderline, or should they still finish their checks?

AP: No, as I said, I think the overall officiating standards have slipped yet again. It’s undeniable if you’re talking playoff hockey, and the regular-season penalty numbers strongly suggest the same. But I don’t fault the officials, either. They take their direction from Terry Gregson, who takes his from Gary Bettman, who takes his from the owners. It all starts at the top.

VP: It is my contention the Bruins and Flyers don’t hoist their Broad Street and Big Bad Cups without their toughness. And that the Isles don’t roll past them without Clark Gillies. Is it accurate that team toughness and having a guy that can mix it up (Not necessarily an enforcer per se) is still an essential component for a Cup run?

AP: Depends what you mean by a guy who can mix it up. Who would that be on the Red Wings’ last Cup-winning team? I think it all depends on what the league allows to happen on the ice. If they reward the Bruins and other aggressive teams for their play, of course it makes sense. But if the game is more about skill and the rulebook is interpreted that way, maybe other teams win out.

VP: If you were in charge for a day, how many “reckless players” would you exile from the game? Would there be a set “this many transgressions and you are gone” criteria?

AP: The changes I’d want wouldn’t work for just a day. I’d put all players on notice that dirty play won’t be tolerated, intent or no intent, and that the head was off-limits. From there, I’d establish clear penalties for headshots and discretionary but severe penalties for other wanton acts. Unfortunately, that would mean examples would have to be set and new precedents created, but that’s the only way players will know change is here and here to stay.

In terms of numbers, I don’t have anything specific, but I do think eight games, or roughly 10 percent of the regular season, is a good starting point for first-time offenders (not fighters). But I would say repeat fighters would have a sliding scale of suspensions that increases drastically after, say, the fifth fight. More than nine or 10 fights means you won’t be playing for the rest of the season.

VP: I’m the Isles writer here, so I’ll ask this in closing: The history of the market, the potential of this young core, a passionate (they are still there, trust me) fan base – is Long Island a hockey market worth saving?How much of a black-eye for the NHL would it be if the franchise responsible for one of the great dynasties in sports history ceased to be?

AP: I do recognize there’s a vocal and proud group of Isles fans and that it would serve the league well to maintain as large a presence in the greater NYC market, so I do hope the franchise stays. My biggest problem with the team has been the dubious decisions made by its ownership and management, as well as the arena that hinders its ability to bring in free agents. What will have to come first for this team to get a new building – the threat of relocation, or winning? Unfortunately, Charles Wang and Garth Snow haven’t made winning part of the equation.

That was fun.Thank you so much for your time, Adam! Follow him on twitter @Proteautype.

On CBC’s After Hours show, following the Canucks/Flames game on HNIC, Scott Oake asked a question that I submitted via Twitter for his guest that night, Canucks goalie Cory Schneider. My question: “Do you prefer the nickname Gingerbricks or Ginger Jesus?”

I’ve seen both nicknames used frequently among other Canucks fans on Twitter and I wanted to set the record straight about which nickname our ravishing, red-haired backup goalie preferred! But apparently, he doesn’t like either of them. This was Cory’s answer:

“I’d like to debunk that right now. Daniel, Henrik and myself, as red-heads we don’t really enjoy the term ‘ginger.’ We’re trying to get it out of people’s vernacular.”

[Jump to 15:00 in video above to see Cory’s answer.]

My first thought was, “Oh great! I just insulted Cory Schneider on national TV! And did he just use the word ‘vernacular’ in a sentence?” Then I wondered why Cory reacted negatively to the term ginger, which is a word commonly used in England to describe “red heads,” but is not meant to be derogatory.

I remembered reading about a shameful bullying campaign someone started years ago called “Kick a Ginger Day” that was apparently inspired by an episode of South Park titled “Ginger Kids.” The campaign resulted in kids around the world being bullied, harassed and beaten at school all because of the color of their hair.

Could this be the reason why Cory, Daniel and Henrik don’t like being described as ginger? I wonder if Cory was ever bullied for having red hair. If he was, then I can understand why he has an aversion to that word. Having been bullied myself, I know the terror and anxiety it instills. The labels become hurtful slurs.

Whether that’s why Cory doesn’t like being called ginger or not, it’s clear our Nuckname for him cannot contain that word. That leaves us with Jesus Bricks, which doesn’t have the same ring. So, I turned to Twitter for some suggestions. (Cue ominous organ music.)

@I_Need_Minions wondered if @jBowmancouver’s nickname for Cory Schneider — Redheaded Stopchild — might be preferable. While clever, I think this would definitely fall into the same category as Ginger Jesus and not be enjoyable for Cory.

@sedinitronic has a good suggestion: change “ginger” to “cinnamon” or “cinna.” So, Cory’s nickname would be transformed into Cinna-Bricks or Cinna-Jesus. Just think of the potential endorsement deals with Cinnabon®! I think this one has promise.

@CryxTofer calls Cory “Ginger Ninja,” which is cute, but alas, it contains the term that must not be enjoyed. Not only that, he compared Cory’s very stylish suit to … DON CHERRY? Oh honey. The difference between Cory Schneider and Don Cherry is like the difference between Tom Ford and Liberace drinking garcinia cambogia tea. It’s kind of a noticeable.

Then there’s Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP), who thinks Scott Oake should not have even asked my question. And in a later tweet said that the producer of After Hours should be fired for picking my question. Well, I never! What does Dennis Bernstein have against nickname questions anyway? (Pssst, Dennis. It’s Cory, not Corey.)

Okay, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to turn to Twitter for advice. So, my dearest readers, tell me in the comments below what YOU think Cory Schneider’s new Nuckname should be!

Follow the gayest and most sparkly Canuck ever on twitter: @GayCanuck

That announcement by NHL head disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan set off a firestorm of angry commentary from Canucks and Blackhawks fans criticizing the length of the suspension, whether Keith’s hit was premeditated, and whether a hit by Daniel that targeted Keith’s head earlier in the game also warrants suspension.

In the NHL video explaining the decision, Shanahan concludes:

“Regardless of Keith’s assertion that the intent on this play was to impede Sedin’s progress as opposed to a retaliation for an earlier hit, Keith’s hit was still dangerous, reckless, and caused injury.”

The day after the Blackhawks game, Daniel was flown back to Vancouver for medical evaluation and missed the game that night with the Dallas Stars which fueled speculation that the injury was a concussion. TSN is now reporting that the Canucks have confirmed that Daniel’s injury is, in fact, a concussion. No word yet on the severity of his injury or potential recovery time.

Losing an elite player for an indeterminate amount of time is quite a blow for a team that has been struggling for the past month to earn the last few points needed to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But it’s possible that this setback could motivate the Canucks to play smarter and with more passion, as they demonstrated in Dallas the day after Daniel’s injury.

Was the suspension fair? Keith has no prior disciplinary action against him, and while I don’t believe his assertion that it wasn’t retaliation — especially after you see the hit he got from Sedin earlier — I think the 5-game suspension is what most reasonable fans on both sides of the debate have begrudgingly agreed is fair. Some Canucks fans, of course, feel it should have been a little longer, while some Blackhawks fans feel it should have been shorter and included a suspension for Sedin.

And what about the hit Sedin gave to Keith? When you watch the video slow-motion replay, it does appear that Sedin’s shoulder comes into contact with Keith’s head.

It’s clearly a hit targeting a player’s head which was dangerous and reckless, but didn’t cause injury. For that reason, I think Sedin should have also been given some form of punishment, perhaps in the form of a $25,000 fine. I don’t see the point of suspending a player that is already out due to an injury.

Whenever there’s a suspension, fans start comparing it with the length of past suspensions for similar infractions, and the pattern that starts to emerge is that there is no pattern. The NHL’s crackdown on hits to the head has become lax since the early pre-season days when Brendan Shanahan stunned everyone with stiff, 10-game suspensions for anything that came near a player’s head.

While I cheered him on, others jeered at what they felt was overzealous officiating by eager-beaver Shanahan, who was scaring those poor, easily-frightened hockey players into not hitting at all which was also killing the game of hockey. Dramatic much, hockey fans? One of the more outspoken critics of Shanahan’s “overreach” was Don Cherry who, in a segment on CBC Coach’s Corner last year, waxed rhapsodic about hard hits over a video montage of player after player being concussed, exclaiming, “ENJOY THIS FOLKS, CAUSE YOU’RE NEVER EVER GOIN’ TO SEE IT AGAIN!”

But unfortunately, we are seeing it again. And ever since, the suspensions have become shorter and more scarce while hits that intentionally target a player’s head seem to be on the rise. So, you won, Don Cherry! But the fans have lost because now there is no clear standard or consistency to the penalties being handed down by Shanahan and the NHL. Some hits to a player’s head are ignored, while others lead to multi-game suspensions. But never 10 games. Not anymore.

I don’t know about you, but, I’d prefer to see elite hockey players like Sid Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Daniel Sedin playing hockey, not out nursing head injuries with garcinia cambogia extract that make them miss half the season. The NHL needs to go back to handing out longer suspensions and increased fines to players who intentionally target another player’s head. It’s the only way to discourage dirty hits that have the potential to cause lasting damage and end a dazzling hockey career.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Apparently, they displayed “unruly behavior.”  Hockey players?  Unheard of.  You knew it was coming while seeing their on-ice celebration after the big win. 

How did those dudes even make it past TSA?  Oh, yeah, right…  More pics follow.

“Don Cherry – White courtesy phone.  All of Russia is holding for you on line 2.”

Rick Stewart / Getty

Nathan Denette /AP