Do the Safety Dance, Oh Yeah the Safety Dance: No Hearing for McLeod

We may be jumping the gun here, and we certainly are holding out the last shred of hope that we are, but Darren Dreger of TSN reports, via Twitter, that no discipline hearings are scheduled for today.

With the Colorado Avalanche scheduled to play in Winnipeg tonight, unless the league comes out and says McLeod is suspended indefinitely pending a hearing (don't count on it), it means no supplemental discipline from the league at all. At least, that is my experience. I can't remember a player being allowed to play in the next game, and then being suspended.

Edit: The league could also suspend McLeod without a hearing, but it would be a small slap on the wrist. He could also still be fined. That $2500 would certainly teach him a lesson. If supplemental discipline comes down without a hearing, it will be a paltry sentence, and the rest of the post remains true.

Words are wasted at this point. The Department of Player Safety has moved past its short term title of Department of Player "Safety," and shall hereby be referred to by the newly coined Department of Safety Jokes (copyright dlfedie). I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist, but I am seriously considering investing in some aluminum foil for hat making purposes.

After the jump, a full retrospective of dirty hits against the Wild. Tell me I shouldn't be wearing a full tinfoil suit. All the while, Brendan Shanahan and his crew do this all day:

Pierre-Marc Bouchard Suspended

October 8th, Bouchard has his stick lifted by Matt Calvert into Calvert's own face, and Bouchard is told he must remain in control of his stick at all times, and that there was an injury that stemmed from a rule infraction, thus he is suspended.

Here is the video, in case you forgot.

And the video from Shanahan

Guillaume Latendresse Concussed by Mark Giordano

This was November 8th, a month after Bouchard was suspended for something Calvert did to himself. Now, we don't know 100% that this hit is the one that concussed Latendresse, but it certainly didn't help the situation along. Not 100% certain, but certainly 90%.

Doesn't look as bad as some we have seen, but the hit is to the numbers, which, by the way, is still against the rules of the game at the pro level.

David Jones Hits Justin Falk High & Eric Johnson Attempts to Decapitate Matt Cullen

November 17.

This game had the double whammy. Not only did Jones jump to hit Justin Falk in the face, but it finished up with Johnson throwing a flying elbow at Cullen as Cullen attempted to get in for an empty net chance. Neither player received even a penalty.

(click photo to see animation)

The reason for no suspension for either player? No idea. No justification given for either decision. Of course, Johnson's elbow didn't connect, so according to the rules, he did nothing wrong. Further proof that it is not the action, but only the result that matters.

Ryan Whitney Goes Knee to Knee Thigh with Cal Clutterbuck

November 30.

Here is where the real fun began. Whitney sticks his leg out to stop Clutterbuck, clips him in the thigh, Clutterbuck misses a stretch of games, and Whitney skates away, unpunished. The rationale? We don't get one. Nothing.

We were told by Edmonton fans, that Whitney would never do that intentionally due to his own injury issues. We were also expected to believe that the video evidence means nothing.

Zach Bogosian Slams Bouchard Head First Into the Boards

December 13.

Here was the first of what we will fondly recall as the beginning of the "death stretch." Bogosian slams Bouchard face first into the top of the dasher, gets the major, the game misconduct (both totalled together equal one minute of actual penalty time), and Brendan Shanahan tell us that Bouchard "turned at the last second." Uh huh. OK.

We know better.

Lennart Patrell Attempts to Take Out Marek Zidlicky

December 23.

This one is still fresh in your minds, we hope. Still, Patrell escapes punishment, this time on the most ridiculous of excuses, a "toe pick" claim. Here the video, not that you have had time for it to leave your head.

Yeah. Patrell put his hand on Zidlicky's back to "let the defender know he was there." Right.

Cody McLeod Sends Jared Spurgeon off on a Stretcher

December 26th.

This one we just talked about, but for argument's sake, we'll include the video here. Will there be supplemental discipline? Certainly doesn't sound like it. With the record of the league, Spurgeon will likely be penalized for not being tall enough.

Draw your own conclusions, Wilderness. Seems to me that there are a growing number of dirty hits in the NHL, and they are going unpunished. These are the hits that pop into our mind, since we cover the Wild. If, by extension, these types of plays are happening across the league, one is left to wonder why the league and NHLPA don't have any problem with them.

We've talked, at length, about this topic. We won't take up any more of your time. We simply wanted to put the video in front of you. Much like an art gallery of the ineptitude of the NHL's Department of Safety Jokes