Alex Ovechkin knees Sergei Gonchar

So will the league come down on Ovechkin for his bush league kneeing penalty on Sergei Gonchar? I am going to say not. Ovechkin is their bread adn butter and don't bite the hand that feeds you. Penguins fans are not happy and I don't blame them. Can you imagine the outrage if some thug of lesser skills had did that to Ovechkin's knee?

More on the Brashear hit on Betts.

TSN's Bob McKenzie has a follow up on the Brashear hit from yesterday's game. I think Bob is right that Brashear is going to get suspended like one poster said in the previous post this is a cheap hit and one could make the argument that there was an intent to injure by Brashear. Lets be clear Brashear has one role on the Capitals hockey team and it isn't to score goals.Donald Brashear's is a goon and his role is to beat people up and be an enforcer, now he can ad cheap shot artist to his repertoire.

It's just a hunch on my part, but I figure Donald Brashear will get a one-game suspension for his pre-game warm-up shove on New York Ranger Colton Orr and probably another one-game suspension for his hit on Ranger Blair Betts.

Which is all well and good, I suppose, but it doesn't really address the root issue on Brashear's hit on Betts, which apparently broke Bett's orbital bone and most definitely scrambled his brain, as evidenced by the video that shows an extremely groggy Betts having difficulty getting off the ice under his own power.
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When a player such as Brashear comes from behind the play, and at the last minute swoops in laterally, to hit an unsuspecting, puck-less player in the head with a shoulder or an elbow or whatever and does significant damage to that player, that is precisely the type of hit the NHL must work to eliminate. And if it can't eliminate that type of hit, then it at least needs to eliminate the players who deliver those types of hits.

Plain and simple, it's a sneak attack and with devastating consequences.

Chicago's Ben Eager did it to Edmonton's Liam Reddox and got a three-game suspension.

Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke did it to Carolina's Scott Walker and got a two-game suspension.

This being the playoffs and all, Brashear will probably get a game or maybe two.

And that isn't nearly enough, not for these hits where the perpetrators come from the blind side and target an unsuspecting player with a head shot. And, please, don't give me the line about players needing to keep their heads up. This is not the same thing, not the same thing at all.

Donald Brashear hit on Blair Betts.

You can bet that the league office will be taking a look at this hit. Was it a cheap head shot? In my opinion it was definitely interference and a dirty hit that may knock a player out of the next game.

At the end of the video you will see Brashear and Orr talking before the game in the pregame warmups. I would imagine that could also lead to a game suspension. I expect game seven to be very exciting and full of drama.

Derek Boogaard suspended 5 games by NHL.

This is the hit that got Derek Boogaard "the Boogey man" suspended by the NHL for 5 games. I think it's definitely a penalty that warrants a suspension, whether it be a boarding or elbow. You have to wonder if the name on the back of the jersey had something to do with the length of the suspension. What would have happened if this was Ovechkin or Crosby that did this hit? Would there be a suspension? You have to wonder if there are two sets of rules for certain players.

Wild's Boogaard suspended for five games
News By NHL .com
Minnesota Wild forward Derek Boogaard has been suspended for five games, without pay, as a result of an elbowing incident during NHL game #921 against the Calgary Flames, the National Hockey League announced today.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Boogaard will forfeit $23,521.50. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

At 18:48 of the third period, Boogaard delivered a blow to the head area of Calgary forward Brandon Prust. Prust was injured on the play and did not return to the game. Officials assessed Boogaard minor penalties for boarding and roughing on the play.

Boogaard will miss tonight’s game at Edmonton, March 3 against Vancouver, March 5 against San Jose, March 7 against Los Angeles and March 8 against Anaheim. He will be eligible to return March 10 vs. San Jose.