A few thoughts...

                                            Image provided by the Chicago Tribune
    As the season winds down there are a few circumstances that should be looked at. The big topic right now is hitting and players getting hurt. After a great Game of the Week last Sunday where the Capitals erased a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Blackhawks in overtime without Ovechkin. The reason Ovechkin wasn't playing has been in the news much more than the fantastic comeback itself. Early in the first period Ovechkin pushed Brian Campbell a few feet from the boards causing him to fall forward and ram his shoulder. The severity of the hit appeared to be from the physical strength of Ovechkin and a slight loss of balance on the part of Campbell. The hit looked bad and Ovechkin was given a 5 min penalty and a game misconduct. Under no circumstances should the NHL hand out suspensions based on whether the player is injured or not but it's clear that if Campbell hopped back up right away a suspension would not have occurred. The news came shortly after the game that Campbell would possibly not return this season as he has a broken clavicle and a few broken ribs then yesterday the word from Colin Campbell, the league's disciplinarian, that Ovechkin would be suspended for 2 games.
 
   Colin Campbell is taking some heat for his decisions and this case is no different. Many players from around the league were interviewed after the game calling Alexander Ovechkin "reckless". However most agreed the injury was unintentional and that Alex is not a "dirty" player. He is known for going a 100 mph every game and going all out on every shift. This being the second time he was suspended this season and it was clearly a message being sent to the rest of the league that there will be no special treatment for superstar players. If he didn't suspend him then fans would assume it was only because of who he is, so Campbell was in a lose lose situation. One of the lingering questions is whether these suspensions will change the aggressive style of play that attracts people to Alexander Ovechkin. I personally hope not but also hope that players become more aware and make better decisions when checking others. This doesn't mean there has to be less hitting or full on play from the players its just a matter of being responsible. Brian Campbell mentioned that after the Olympics everyone was raving about hockey but now the Matt Cooke hit and then this is making parents stop and think before letting their kids play hockey. He was quoted saying "This has to stop".

   Right before the situation mentioned above was what I talked about in my last post, the situation involving Matt Cooke and Marc Savard. This story was thrown a new twist as since no one defended Marc Savard directly after the hit, there is expected to be premeditated fights in this Thursday's rematch between the teams. This situation could have been avoided if the Bruins went after Cooke at the time of the incident. Now there is talk of the Bruins going to Sidney Crosby in order to take out there star, an eye for and eye situation. With all the headaches of people talking down on hockey for the current injuries situation the last thing the league needs is another Todd Bertuzzi incident. In that instance Bertuzzi was retaliating for a hit by Steve Moore on then Captain Markus Naslund of the Vancouver Canucks. There was a lot of talk about retaliation before the game and then what happened during that game is something few will forget. This game between the Bruins and Penguins will most likely be filled with controversy but how out of hand will it get? The Bruins need a win right now more then payback if they want to be a part of the postseason.