This young NHL season has already seen two completely different situations -- a check from behind and a crude gesture -- top TSN's highlight reel, pollute YouTube and eventually land on NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's desk.
The gesture, made by New York Islanders defenseman James Wisniewski, is unfortunately not something appropriate for either description or demonstration. Sean Avery, New York Rangers agitator, instigated a verbal exchange with Wisniewski which eventually led to the lewd act.
The same night, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson was ejected from his game after he aggressively ran Buffalo Sabres forward Jason Pominville into the boards. Pominville left the game on a stretcher and has since been diagnosed with a concussion.
The NHL has decided to hand both players a two-game suspension.
This begs an enormous question. Was Wisniewski's suspension too much or was Hjalmarsson's too little? There is a definite difference between an offensive gesture and a potential career-ending body check, so there is no reason for the punishments to coincide.
Tell us -- what should the NHL have done differently?
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