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Monday, 12 December 2011 12:01

Written by Seth Rorabaugh

Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was sidelined for Saturday's game on Long Islander due to concussion-like symptoms he suffered after a hit from Flyers forward Zack Rinaldo Tuesday.

The hit in question:

It's difficult to tell exactly if Rinaldo made contact with Bortuzzo's head directly on the play. But obviously some damage was done since Bortuzzo was sidelined Saturday.

Rinaldo's hit does bear some similarities to other hits which have earned suspensions earlier this season from NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan (above). Buffalo's Brad Boyes on Toronto's Joe Cobourne:

Detroit's Brendan Smith on Chicago's Ben Smith:

Edmonton's Andy Sutton versus Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog:

And Montreal's Max Pacioretty on Kris Letang:

Rinaldo's hit is probably most similar to the Pacioretty-Letang hit. Bortuzzo, like Letang, was struk while following through on a shot. And if anything, the hit is even more egregious since it happened much longer after Pacioretty struck Letang.

Yet, Pacioretty had to sit out three games while Rinaldo didn't even get as much as a phone call from Shanahan.

Shanahan has made infinite improvements to how the NHL handles discipline. From being far more transparent than his predecessor Colin Campbell to just offering a better understanding on how the sport is played in the 2010s. But sadly, one trait which has carried over from Campbell's regime is the staggering inconsistency with which Shanahan handles the task.

(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Comments (2)

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written by chuckinrlp, December 12, 2011 - 11:41 AM

Seth, did the Pens report the hit on Bortuzzo to the league? I agree with the inconsistency aspect, but was wondering if Shanahan even knew about the hit since it only resulted in a minor penalty being called (bs in my opinion). Is there a supervisor of officials at each game to notify the league office of plays like this, or must it come from the team?

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written by bastage42, December 13, 2011 - 12:34 PM

From what I understand, Shanahan started the year with a mandate that got changed once a few GMs lost their players for multiple games ... he's since been told to settle down. Now, someone might get a long suspension due to their expertise/prior history, but beyond that it seems kind of random. The video explanations are nice and all, but the early consistency was IMO great, and it's all but gone at this point. I don't get why GMs and owners can't understand how important it is to have a) the consistency for the fans and b) the consistency for the protection of the players.

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