For Example A, you have Marc Savard, the Bruins star whose career was essentially ended by an elbow to the head from Matt Cooke. That hit led to no suspension or fine for Cooke, of course, but it did set off changes that create the environment where supplemental discipline is dished out just about as often as the NHL’s stars of the week.
With that in mind, Savard would be a qualified voice on the recent five-game suspension handed to Brad Marchand.
“Shanahan in tough predicament,” Savard wrote on his Twitter page. “Marchand five games was a bad decision. I believe he warranted two games but on the other hand [Jean-Francois] Jacques gets three.”
The Jacques hit to which Savard is referring was one eerily similar to the one Savard received from Cooke. You can see it below.
Jacques was a repeat offender, but because R.J. Umberger suffered no apparent injury, the punishment was just a three-game suspension for Jacques.
Savard, as you can imagine, took issue with that.
“Jacques hit is what we want out of the game,” Savard wrote. “Give him five games that is exactly rule 48.”
Savard, 34, was empathetic with Shanahan, though, acknowledging it’s not an easy gig.
“I don’t want Shannie’s job, he’s honestly never right,” Savard wrote. “[No one] is ever happy with Shanny but Marchy [definitely] didn’t deserve five games.”
