A ShanaBan Playoff Twist

As I watch the Bruins-Capitals game a thought popped into my feeble little mind.

The question was asked, “why don’t NHL players have enough respect to NOT try and hurt each other.”  This motivated by Shea Weber’s WWE style move last night.  His goal, hurt the other guy.  Then I watch a Caps player gutlessly smash David Krejci in the face drawing a 4 minute penalty. 

The punishment?  4 minutes?  5 minutes? A game misconduct? …or worse… a Shanaban!

But really, is that really a deterrent?  Well sure, if you’re Zedeno Chara or Sidney Crosby.  If you are a player of that caliber missing a game in the playoffs could mean early summer vacation.

What if you are a role player?  A replaceable teammate.  You go out, cheap shot the stud on the other team, take your 4 game suspension to know Crosby, Seguin, Ovechkin, or Malkin out for a few games. Who cares right?

Now the twist…What if a playoff suspension carried additional cost.  Not to the individual, but the team. 

Example:  You are Byron Bitz.  A waste of ice time role player in Vancouver who blew up a defenseless opponent. You just got a 2 game ban.  BUT, in addition, Vancouver cannot replace Bitz’s roster spot.  They have to play 2 games with one less player on the bench.

All of a sudden coaches would stop sending thugs on the ice because 2 games of double shifting guys is a recipe for disaster. 

Add onto that the peer pressure of teammates. 

Picture the Canucks locker room today Sedin to Bitz, “It’s ok Bitzy.  You’ll be back for game 4.”

Now with the roster spot twist, “Come on Bitzy.  That was dumb.  Beating these guys was hard enough with all of us.  You really killed us there!”

Which one gets the result the league needs?  Think about it next time a suspension is levied for the cheap hits the NHL is trying to eliminate.