Duncan Keith match penalty against Coyle UPDATE: Suspended 6 games

[H2SO4(aq)]

I don't get what people are so upset about. 6 games is a pretty long suspension. The only reason people are saying this is a "joke" is because they don't think the rest of the regular season carries value. If Chicago were in the east fighting it out with Phili and Detroit and Boston I doubt anyone would say this is an insignificant suspension. The nhl can't just give him a boatload of games so that it affects a playoffs series. It's a fair suspension

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Gallick

How does he only get six games when this is a repeat offense for the same type of infraction? I'm not saying they are exactly equivalent, but Marty McSorley got an assault conviction and a one-year ban for hitting someone in the head with his stick.

Keith gets to rest up and come back in game 2. What a fearsome deterrent.

I hate McSorely (every Flames fan pretty much as to, right?), but I still say that was the wrong decision on there. I really do believe McSorely was 'tapping' not 'two-handed intent to injure'. Reputation decision. He should have gotten 20 games back in the day at most.

Keith? It is not often you see a deliberate swipe of a stick at someone's head, and even more rare that it makes contact. That is without question a complete intent on injuring. It isn't like Keith doesn't have history either. It is a joke of a disciplinary league. I believe 10 games would still be too light - should have been 20.

[driveway]

Originally Posted by H2SO4(aq)

I don't get what people are so upset about. 6 games is a pretty long suspension. The only reason people are saying this is a "joke" is because they don't think the rest of the regular season carries value. If Chicago were in the east fighting it out with Phili and Detroit and Boston I doubt anyone would say this is an insignificant suspension. The nhl can't just give him a boatload of games so that it affects a playoffs series. It's a fair suspension

I agree, the point in the season is circumstantial and shouldn't be taken into account. Six games is a good length for his action, it is, compared to a lot of suspensions quite harsh.

Frustrating how it works out with Chicago already qualifying, but I'm okay with the six games.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I feel similarly. I think it should have been at least 10, but I didn't expect that. I didn't expect any playoff games.

So I am glad to see that there is at least the one.

This is exactly how I see it. Actually, it's been said by some that a suspension of one playoff game is roughly equivalent to getting suspended for four regular season games, so by that metric it actually is ten games. This is more than I thought he'd get.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by H2SO4(aq)

I don't get what people are so upset about. 6 games is a pretty long suspension. The only reason people are saying this is a "joke" is because they don't think the rest of the regular season carries value. If Chicago were in the east fighting it out with Phili and Detroit and Boston I doubt anyone would say this is an insignificant suspension. The nhl can't just give him a boatload of games so that it affects a playoffs series. It's a fair suspension

It's a joke because it's the second time the guy has done this in less than 3 years.

Who slashes people twice in the face on purpose? That's something out of Slapshot.

I mean, honestly? Should we start calling him Dr. Hook now?

[Robbob]

Lost in all this is the fact he recently against calgary got away with the hatchet job on gaudreau. He knowingly turned the blade over to maximize damage. The guy has been just rediculous with his stick.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

This is exactly how I see it. Actually, it's been said by some that a suspension of one playoff game is roughly equivalent to getting suspended for four regular season games, so by that metric it actually is ten games. This is more than I thought he'd get.

It'd actually be nine games, since you have five regular season games + the four you'd get for "trading in" the one playoff game.

[dino7c]

a lesser name would have gotten 10+ games...I think that is the issue. He misses one game he actually cares about

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by H2SO4(aq)

I don't get what people are so upset about. 6 games is a pretty long suspension. The only reason people are saying this is a "joke" is because they don't think the rest of the regular season carries value. If Chicago were in the east fighting it out with Phili and Detroit and Boston I doubt anyone would say this is an insignificant suspension. The nhl can't just give him a boatload of games so that it affects a playoffs series. It's a fair suspension

Two things. One, it's a disappointingly short suspension because it is short given his history. Two, the NHL does suspend based on how meaningful the games are. It's why playoff suspensions are so short compared to the regular season for similar actions. So yeah, if they were in a tough race 6 games might seem like enough because it could end their season if they missed. Since they are in and he may have rested anyway, it ends up being a 1 game suspension and that's a ####ing joke.

[dino7c]

Its fine...Gary can sit in court and explain why a repeat offender gets one playoff game for swinging a stick at someone else's head...and then tell everyone how serious the league is about head injuries.

[Lanny'sDaMan]

Originally Posted by H2SO4(aq)

I don't get what people are so upset about. 6 games is a pretty long suspension. The only reason people are saying this is a "joke" is because they don't think the rest of the regular season carries value. If Chicago were in the east fighting it out with Phili and Detroit and Boston I doubt anyone would say this is an insignificant suspension. The nhl can't just give him a boatload of games so that it affects a playoffs series. It's a fair suspension

If they were serious about player safety, they sure as hell would. And if it affects a playoff series, well then that's 100% on the dumbnuts Keith for being too stupid to keep his stick off of other people's faces. That's the first bloody thing they teach you as a kid. Keep your stick on the ice. This idiot is making a choice to wack other players all willy nilly. In the arms, wrists and now faces. A blown playoff run would teach him more than any amount of lost wages or other games missed.

[Benched]

was expecting 5 or less....

so i"m sort of surprised/glad at 6.

it's not much, but it should hurt the Hawks a bit and hopefully that's a wake up call for Keith to clean it up.

[FlamesAddiction]

They should have suspended him indefinitely pending a hearing to take place some time in the distant future.

Just to ensure that if he were to appeal and win, he would still serve out the full suspension anyway.

[Frequitude]

Glad they made the statement of giving him 1 playoff game. Should have been 2 though.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by H2SO4(aq)

I don't get what people are so upset about. 6 games is a pretty long suspension. The only reason people are saying this is a "joke" is because they don't think the rest of the regular season carries value. If Chicago were in the east fighting it out with Phili and Detroit and Boston I doubt anyone would say this is an insignificant suspension. The nhl can't just give him a boatload of games so that it affects a playoffs series. It's a fair suspension

Why not? Did you actually see what he did? If he takes a guy's eye out, are you then prepared to say 2 play-off games are okay? I, however, would suggest more is appropriate. Come on, why apologize for him?

[driveway]

I've heard one playoff game = two regular season, not four.

[flamesfan1297]

^that sounds more likely

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

It's a joke because it's the second time the guy has done this in less than 3 years.

And if it was the first time, Keith (or anyone else) would have got 3-4 games.

[thefoss1957]

As a 'Hawk fan, I am disappointed with Keith's actions, and have no problem with the NHL suspending him. As I posted earlier, the DOPS does seem to take severity of the injury into account, and Coyle took some stitches and finished the game.

However, I would dispute that Keith is on the same level of "dirty player" as, say, a Raffi Torres. He doesn't run around trying to initiate cheap shots. Keith DOES seem to have an anger management problem. This is not meant to excuse his actions, but if you look at the four examples that are pointed out here, all four were responses to having been provoked. Sedin with the Charging/Interference/Head Shot...Carter with the intent to injure chop at the bare hand... and Coyle with the High Stick to the face/leg jerk (http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/g...lash-incident/) ...and immediately prior to his chasing down Gaudreau, Keith had turned the puck over, in the corner, when another Flame player had stuck his leg out for a trip. The commonality of all four incidents is that a blatant infraction went uncalled, and in the twisted logic of retaliation, Keith reacted. Again, not defending the action itself, but, I really don't feel that the revenge move occurs if the Referees had made a correct call that, IMO, clearly would have defused the situation. I could imagine that weasel, Sedin, chirping after HIS dirty hit, and how that might be infuriating to a guy with anger issues.

I think that for the Gadreau incident, Keith DID feel remorse for his actions, for those that saw the WGN feed, in the 2nd period, they showed a replay of Keith apparently apologizing to Johnny Hockey, after a whistle.

At any rate, as I posted earlier, I was expecting just the 5 games of the regular season, so losing a playoff game, is one game more than what I would have expected, given DOPS history of taking severity of injury incurred by the action, into account.

[Enoch Root]

I do think the injury aspect was a factor in the 6 games. I hate that they deploy discipline based on injury, but they do, and the fact is that Coyle is fine.

I too have always heard 1 playoff to 2 reg season games. So let's call it 7 for the sake of argument.

Though I wanted 10 plus, at least this has set the stage where if he does something similar again, it should go up from there.

I would have much preferred 2 playoff games, as several other people have also said, but this is still pretty significant.