The small fines are ridiculous. $5000 to an NHL player (avg salary ~$3million) is like a fine of $200 to someone making $125K. That's just not right, and the NHL needs to approach the NHLPA and put this back in their lap if they are concerned about player safety, then how can you accept such a low max fine? Of course, the NHLPA will rightly come back to them, "duh, well if you have the guts to suspend, that costs them game checks". And the NHLPA would be dead on with those comments.
To be honest, I no longer care about this stuff. If the players don't, why should I? I am ready for a good old fashioned nutjob series like the ones the Avs/Red Wings would play in the 90's or the Oiler/Flames in the 80's.
I tried to post the penalty box score from Game 2 of the Pens Rangers series....it is hilarious.
There were 22 Minor penalties called.....................IN THE FIRST PERIOD!! Mostly roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct. And two fighting majors.
In the second period.....there were 13 more Minor penalties called, 2 more fighting and Jay Caulfield got a 10 minute misconduct.
It settled down in the 3rd period, only 7 minor penalties.
But think about that.....42 minor penalties were called. In one game. You can go a month now and not get that. Here's the thing, I was AT this game, and nothing sticks out to me as anything particularly outrageous or vicious. But it was constant BS scrum stuff.
I don't know why this happened, this was the first playoff appearance by the Pens with Mario Lemieux and if the Rangers intended to intimidate the young Pens, they didn't do a real good job as they were swept.
