A breakdown of why Marchand's suspension was upheld; Bettman's inconsistency on full display
Late Friday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman came back with his ruling on the Brad Marchand appeal for his actions on February 8th towards Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry.
Despite the fact that Jarry had taunted Marchand after a big save late in the game, the fact that he was provoked does not justify his reaction. Even Marchand himself acknowledged that what he did crossed a line - though he also emphasized that there was no intent to injure and that the NHL was suspending the player for his history, not for the act itself. Nevertheless, his suspension was upheld.
The 6-game suspension appears to have been separated into 3 parts, as DFO's Frank Seravalli points out below: Two games for the punch, two games for the high-stick, and two games for Marchand's history of going over the line.
Ryan Johnston of 98.5 The Sports Hub's "The Hockey Show" made an excellent point about Bettman's comment relating to how Marchand's actions made himself, the Bruins organization and the NHL look bad. It was just recently when Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz did far more damage in the public eye and received no discipline from the league.
This guy shrugged off Chicago's owner berating reporters who asked about preventing sexual assaults as "an emotional moment.""
Granted, the two situations a vastly different, as only one could have resulted in an injury, but the league's inconsistency with the issues that are dealt with vs the ones that are swept under the rug is maddening.
I've been saying this for quite awhile. It's time that Bettman and Campbell gave up their seats and a new Commissioner and Deptuty are brought in to replace them. Unfortunately, this has to come from the owners and it doesn't appear that there is any appetite for change at this time.
