The Pittsburgh Penguins faced off against their nearby rival Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night in one of the most physical games of the season. Both teams were throwing their weight around and trying to make sure the opposing players had enough bumps and bruises to wake up sore the following morning. However, one particularly heinous play stood out above the rest.
Late in the second period, Sidney Crosby and Brandon Dubinsky were fighting for positioning in front of the Blue Jackets’ net. After Crosby established himself setting up a screen, he turned to watch for the puck coming from the blue line. Dubinsky then preceded to raise his stick and crosscheck Crosby in the back of the neck, causing him to fall to the ice in pain. While he was down, Dubinksy took the opportunity to deliver a further blow and snapped his stick in half over the already injured player’s back.
Crosby left the ice and went to the locker room for the remainder of the period, he did not return until just prior to the start of the third period. Dubinsky received a two-minute minor penalty, which allowed him to return to the ice less than a minute after Crosby did. He further riled fans by contributing to the Blue Jackets victory as he recorded an assist on the game winning overtime goal.
Dubinsky had a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety and the result was that he was suspended for just one game.
With the NHL currently facing lawsuits from former players, they have given lip service to the claim that they wish to remove this type of dangerous play from happening and crack down on all contact to the head. However, the message they send with this mere slap on the wrist is that the old boys club is still in charge. We can expect this type of thuggery and dangerous play to continue to escalate and the league will not do anything serious to curb it until it once more results in a serious career ending player injury.
