NHL plays favorites

[Bob 0119]

Alex Ovechkin Was suspended for a "knee-on-knee" collision this year. Mike Green was also suspended for a knee collision where he was injured and was not able to finish the game.

Donald Brashear was suspended for five games during the playoffs last year for a hit that didn't even knock the player out of the game.

Matt Cooke sends Marc Savard to the hospital (google it) and doesn't get so much as a slap-on-the-wrist fine. The Nhl's reasoning for no suspension? "[They] wanted to remain consistent!"

yeah...don't want to do anything that might hurt Pittsburgh's playoff chances, right?

[KazooSkinsFan]

Alex Ovechkin Was suspended for a "knee-on-knee" collision this year. Mike Green was also suspended for a knee collision where he was injured and was not able to finish the game.

Donald Brashear was suspended for five games during the playoffs last year for a hit that didn't even knock the player out of the game.

Matt Cooke sends Marc Savard to the hospital (google it) and doesn't get so much as a slap-on-the-wrist fine. The Nhl's reasoning for no suspension? "[They] wanted to remain consistent!"

yeah...don't want to do anything that might hurt Pittsburgh's playoff chances, right?

Welcome to my (Red Wings) world. In the Stanley Cup Finals, the NHL:

1) Played endless commercials of Sid and Malkin scoring goals in the prior year's Cup finals, which the Penguins LOST to the Red Wings. Babcock, the Wings head coach, said watching the commercials he thought we'd lost the prior cup to the Penguins, not won it.

2) We beat the Black Hawks in 5 games, our best O (Datsuk) and D (Lidstrom) were hurt. We should have gotten a break. We got one, two days. And then the series was scheduled for an UNPRESIDENTED 5 games in 8 days. Just a major advantage to the Penguins.

3) Malkin attacked Zetterberg after the final whistle of game 2. A MANDATORY one game suspention by NHL rules. It was just ignored.

4) Then I'm not one, and you can go back through every post with the Skins, to point to officiating in losing. I just think it goes both ways. But that assumes honest intent, which we clearly did not get in the Wings series. Like the 22 seconds the Penguins had an extra man on the ice. A Wing was checked directly into the goalie directly in front of the net directly in front of the referee, bam, goalie interference. And the power play led to the tying goal that prevented the Wings from going up 3-0 in the series. Flagrant Penguin penalties were routinely ignored. Even the announcers were asking if the referees were going to ever call the Pens for a penalty in a couple games so many were ignored.

Clearly it wasn't driven by anti-Wings, but the NHL decided the Penguins were going to win for marketing and they were going to do everything in their power to make it so. The one cup apprently not being enough for the Beloved Penguins. Now with Sid and the Gold, it's going to get even worse.

Last spring we became a metered Nielsen family, which means we directly determine the ratings. Besides helping CNBC, my first thought was how much this would help the NHL. After the WWF level where you don't host a championship series, you chose a Champion, I haven't watched a game on my TV since the Cup farce of last year ended. It would help the NHL ratings. I used to be irked they weren't on ESPN anymore, but they aren't even good enough for the Outdoor Channel, now called "Versus."

End of rant.