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Sunday, 13 February 2011 01:00

Written by Seth Rorabaugh

From the Post-Gazette's Dave Molinari:

Penguins winger Eric Godard received an automatic 10-game suspension for leaving the bench during an altercation, but league officials opted against enforcing a suspension against coach Dan Bylsma.

Because of Godard's offense, Rule 70.10 stipulated that Bylsma be suspended, pending a league review.

The rundown of sanctions assessed to the Islanders:

• Forward Trevor Gillies, who elbowed Eric Tangradi in the head, giving him a concussion, is suspended for nine games.

• Forward Matt Martin, who jumped forward Max Talbot from behind, was suspended for four games.

• A $100,000 fine for the team.

"The actions by the Islanders' Gillies and Martin were deliberate attempts to injure by delivering blows to the head of players who were unsuspecting and unable to defend themselves," said NHL vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell.

"The message should be clear to all players: targeting the head of an opponent by whatever means will be dealt with by suspension.

"With respect to the Godard suspension, there can be no circumstance that allows for a player to leave his bench for the purpose of coming to the aid of a teammate.

"The Islanders also must bear some responsibility for their failure to control their players."

EN Says: We're kind of shocked that Islanders forward Micheal Haley didn't get any sort of punishment for his antics, but the fact that the NHL dropped the hammer on the Islanders organization as a whole is what's important here. They held general manager Garth Snow and company responsible for this debacle.

And it's not like the Islanders have $100,000 just lying around. This is one of the most frugal (to be  nice) franchises in the NHL.

(Photo: Jim McIssac/Getty Images)

Comments (11)

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written by Deadstar23, February 13, 2011 - 12:15 AM

Nice to see the 100k fine. The suspensions to those marginal AHL players is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. In 5 years no one will even remember who those players are. The message needs to be crystal clear that acts like this from teams who put these fringe players in the position to do this is unacceptable.

Small price to pay from those players for deliberately attempting to knock more of our players out of the lineup.

There is no sympathy from anyone for that franchise. It's a joke from the owner, to the front office, all the way down to the players.

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written by eman41, February 13, 2011 - 12:32 AM

Sad part is that in the end this will be read as the league coming down hard on the Isles and going soft on the Penguins.

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written by djbst75, February 13, 2011 - 12:56 AM

The visles are a classless circus act and the sooner they move to Quebec the better......

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written by djbst75, February 13, 2011 - 12:58 AM

Also just ban hits to the head already why the tap dancing around it. The NFL should be the model here they just do it and to hell with what anyone else thinks. Goodell may be many things but he gets things done and Bettmann needs to just ban hits to the head period.

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written by bastage42, February 13, 2011 - 01:05 AM

Not that we'll ever get anything from the NHL office, but I'd love to hear Campbell explain how the Bertuzzi and Martin attacks were different, aside from the result. I'm not saying Martin necessarily should be gone for the season, but I think 4 games is unduly light, doesn't do much to discourage another player from doing the same thing.

I'm also mildly surprised that Haley got nothing, but ultimately he didn't do much damage, I guess, and that's how they seem to dole out the punishment.

Seth, you're right, at least they held the team accountable.

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written by tennpen, February 13, 2011 - 01:06 AM

GARAGE LEAGUE! what a joke. after all that transpired in that game the player with the longest suspension is Goddard. so skating fullspeed halfway across the rink to deliberately elbow an unsuspecting player then keep throwing punches when the guy is down is a lesser offense than leaving the bench to protect a goalie from an ahl goon callup with no previous nhl games played? $100k fine? big deal, thats pocket change, make it at least $500k or even better take away some draft picks. nothing for haley? nothing for crapuano? from the GM who called up haley to that greaseball coach to the players this was premeditated by the entire islandorks orginization and thats the extent of the nhl's punishment? i'm so sick of the people running this league. from bettman down to the refs, they are incompetent morons. "deliberate attempts to injure by delivering blows to the head of players who were unsuspecting and unable to defend themselves" = a few games suspension for guys who only get 3 minutes of ice-time per game anyway. i knew it would turn out this way but i'm just as disgusted with the league as the islandorks right now. what a joke.

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written by Bones, February 13, 2011 - 10:03 AM

Again, these clowns don't play much so the suspensions don't really matter. But yeah, it's good to see the league make an example out of that joke of an organization. Would have liked to see a 3rd round draft pick taken away from them too, but that was never going to happen.

And yes eman41, you are right. This will quickly develop into another "the league loves the Penguins and will do anything to help them win" story by the haters...

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written by jedd88, February 13, 2011 - 10:04 AM

I called it yesterday... I knew this would happen... As far as the hits to the head comments... Here is the deal... It is hard to enforce this... If you have a 6'6" player checking a player 5'8" with a shoulder, then its obvious a head is getting hit...Now deliberate hits to the head is different, but that would be up to the ref's to handle... LOST CAUSE!!!

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written by jedd88, February 13, 2011 - 10:12 AM

For just a piddley four games off I would like to see Godard perform a Martin trick and punch Gilles square in the face when he wasnt looking.....

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written by djbst75, February 13, 2011 - 12:31 PM

Jed are u kidding me did you watch the olympics? they have a strict policy of no hits to the head. It can be done you just have to do it!!!

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written by Huckster, February 13, 2011 - 01:55 PM

The designated goon must be eliminated from this league. I don't think anyone who loves hockey likes to see these no-talent goons be sent onto the ice to mug great players of this great game. Cut one position of each team, mandatory and get rid of the classes, no-talent goons and then drop the puck and lets play. There a plenty of "tough" and talented hockey players who can take care of themselves and their teammates without these thugs in the game. Fighting, yes..it's part of the game. Felony attacks in broad daylight in front of sports officials, cameras and fans? No place for it.

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