When Radko Gudas was handed a suspension last week from the NHL's Department of Player Safety, it warranted plenty of questions about the department's consistency through the 2015-16 season.
Consistency, or a lack thereof, was the one significant component that has plagued the Department of Player Safety for years now. This especially holds true when it comes to hits to the head — which the NHL is increasing its focus on as knowledge of concussions continues to expand.
There's no second-guessing that what Gudas did to Ottawa's Mika Zibanejad last week was a hit to the head — Zibanejad was in an awkward, prone position coming off of the faceoff. But was it worth a three-game ban?
Entering this season, Gudas had never faced any disciplinary action from the league. Not even so much as a fine, let alone a suspension. Sure, there is a first time for everything, but for Gudas' first-ever disciplinary action to be this harsh is puzzling.
Of course, what's raised questions is how the Player Safety department handled other disciplinary action this season. You may remember when Zac Rinaldo received no supplemental discipline for his headshot on Sean Couturier on Oct. 21. Rinaldo, a player who was never a stranger to discipline throughout his career, somehow managed to get off scot-free.
You can also look no further than this weekend, in a game between the Vancouver Canucks and Rinaldo's Boston Bruins. Late in the third period, as the Bruins led 4-0 (this sounds familiar), the Canucks' Brandon Prust went out of his way to spear Brad Marchand in the groin. Both men were nowhere near the play, and it was a deliberate attempt by Prust to injure Marchand (who, I may add, is not exactly a saint either). While it was another typical occurrence of pest-on-pest violence, it was still a malicious and reprehensible act.
Surely, such a ridiculous and unnecessary showing would lead to time away from the rink for Prust, no? Wrong. Prust was handed a $5,000 fine — a mere pittance compared to his $10 million contract. Prust didn't stop there, as he then proceeded to go on record to call that fine "the best money [he] ever spent."
Of the nine suspensions handed out by the Department of Player Safety this season, four have been for hits to the head. Gudas, Ottawa's Mark Stone (two games, effective Oct. 31) and Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog (two games effective Nov. 12) are all first-time offenders, with nothing as much as a fine issued to them in their careers. On the other hand, San Jose's Raffi Torres was banned for 41 games — half of the regular season — for a dirty hit to the head of Anaheim's Jakob Silfverberg in the preseason.
As Torres is a known as a repeat offender, his suspension at the start of the season made sense. It was a message from Player Safety that shots to the head would not be tolerated, and the department would have no tolerance for them this season.
But, as usual, the department failed to keep that message consistent as the season progressed.
Gudas has endeared himself to Flyers fans this season for his physical, demolition-derby style of play. He'll take the body, and his implementation of hip checks helps revive what's become a lost art. At the time of his suspension, his 118 hits were second in the league, and he still leads all defensemen in hits. The NHL's lack of consistency, in this case, is a warning to Gudas to watch out for that style of play.
Did Gudas deserve disciplinary action for that hit on Mika Zibanejad? Absolutely. It was a hockey play, but it was still nonetheless a shot to the head. But throwing the book at a first-time offender for three games, while other incidents from known pests have been under-punished, is further validation that the NHL's Department of Player Safety remains inconsistent.
Of course, the department isn't going to get every call right. Nobody in the NHL is perfect, and that still applies to the people in charge of discipline. But the lack of consistency on shots to the head still remains puzzling, especially as it involves first-time offenders and known agitators.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
