Toronto Maple Leafs: Some Thoughts on Complicity and Nazem Kadri

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without centre Nazem Kadri for the rest of the first round.

On Monday night, prior to game three between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins, the NHL suspended Kadri for his cross check to the face of Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk.

As a repeat offender, the NHL gave Kadri an extremely harsh suspension that will see him miss the rest of the first round, regardless of how many games.

While not unexpected, it is a huge blow to the Leafs

Kadri Out

Last year, the NHL suspended Kadri for boarding Bruins forward Tommy Wingels.   Kadri was given three games and then came back for the final two.

This year, there will be no return.

On one hand, the suspension is fair.  The NHL is trying to eliminate head shots, and this was a blatant one.  Add in the fact that it was retaliatory, and that the same player did something similar last season, and you can’t really argue the call.

But on the other, the NHL let Saturday’s game get that point, and people probably always want to cross check Jake DeBrusk in the face – unfortunately, all this is immaterial as far as the punishment goes, but it does really suck.

The only possible thing anyone can say about this suspension is that it’s harsh by the NHL’s  previously established standards of letting players do pretty much whatever they want.

Bad luck for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but what can you do?  I mean, I racked my brain, and I couldn’t think of another situation where you can assault someone with a six foot weapon and not go to jail.

The NHL needs to continue to work towards making the game safer, and while suspending players long after the game gets out of control isn’t going to really do anything about that, they cannot improve the safety of their game while tolerating the idiocy of players like Kadri.

I don’t condone dirty play, and I don’t disagree that suspending Kadri was the correct move, but I do continue to have a problem with the hypocrisy that people show whenever stuff like this happens.

You can’t ask people to play on the edge of their emotions, put a couple million dollars at stake and then act all outraged when something goes wrong.  If you pay for, watch or participate in the NHL, you tacitly condone these actions.

Everyone wants an intense, hard fought game……….until things go to far.  Which is why I say suspend him, but take your aghast reactions about his character, ability to learn, or maturity and kindly rethink and retire them.

Thanks