NHL Needs to Fix the Problem of Penalty-Free Penalties
Penalties especially in the playoffs can put teams at risk of losing. Well, except in one scenario anyway.
Let’s start with a question. In what scenario does a penalty actually not cost a team anything? In most every circumstance when a team takes a penalty, there is some kind of consequence.
The common outcome is a player sitting for two minutes or less for the foul they committed. At times, the penalty could be stiffer such as with a double-minor or a major. A misconduct can cost someone 10 minutes or even the rest of the game.
Penalties can even be severe enough to warrant some form of supplemental discipline. Fines and suspensions can be handed out in certain cases. It is usually not wise to take a penalty at the risk of what it can do to your team.
But back to our original question. There is a situation in which a team can take not only one penalty, but several, in which there is no consequence or a consequence less than what the rulebook says. Sounds weird, right?
This actually happens more than you think. It has actually already happened in these playoffs.
The time has come for something to be done about it too.
Setting the Scene
Let’s go back to the end of Game 1 in the Battle of Ontario. The game was well out of reach by then with the Maple Leafs winning 6-2.
With under a minute left in the game, chaos ensued. Both the Senators and Maple Leafs got into the rough stuff. In all, between high-sticking and roughing calls, 24 penalty minutes were dished out.
Then after the final horn, an additional penalty was called when Nick Jensen roughed Pontus Holmberg. Given that the game was over, Jensen was assessed the minor but didn’t have to spend any time in the penalty box.
Under the current rules, penalties do not carry over to the next game. All of the players assessed penalties at 19:16 of the third only had to serve out the final 44 seconds of the game and that was that.
In Jensen’s case, he got nothing but a slap on the wrist and zero time in the penalty box. This is a problem.
And no, saying that this is just “a part of hockey” isn’t good enough of an excuse either. Having this as the rule means that anyone can take a penalty at the 20-minute mark of the third and not have to pay the consequences. Their name will appear on the scoresheet. Call it a badge of honor more than anything at this point.
Punch an opponent in the face? Yeah, no time served. An extra slash? Same thing. It’s free.
Especially when you are considering the concept of “message sending”, having an opening to do illegal things to your opponents without having to miss game action just simply cannot happen.
Why Is This an Issue?
It’s simple. The rulebook says when a player commits a foul, there is a consequence of their actions.
Granted, if the infraction is severe, the play can be reviewed by the league and additional punishment can be handed down. But at no point should a player be able to foul someone and not have to pay the price for their actions.
Dangerous Precedence
