More anger directed at the NHL and Campbell
BY KEVIN HARRIMAN
Boston Sports Desk Publisher
Welcome to the world of Boston Bruins fans Mario Lemieux ! The former Pens star unleashed an attack on the NHL and Colin Campbell in particular over punishment handed out for the brawl his team and the New York Islanders were involved in last week.
Fans in Boston have been waiting for over a year to get a factual accounting from the NHL on a hit Marc Savard took from Pittsburg’s goon, Matt Cooke. When it was learned a few months back from leaked emails that Campbell had a bias against Savard, no other comments ever came out of the league office.
I think Lemieux needs to look in the mirror before he goes after the NHL and Campbell. How about you control your goon (Cooke) and maybe others around the league would take your rant seriously. Until them Mario, get a clue. Yes the NHL needs to do more to patrol the head hunting, and yes….Colin Campbell needs to be shown the door. But Mario, please take care of your own house before you go talking smack about the league.
Fans in Boston still have no answers, why should you ?
THE FOLLOWING IS AN ACCOUNT TAKEN FROM AOL SPORTS AND DESCRIBES WHAT CAUSED LEMIEUX TO GO OFF ON CAMPBELL AND THE NHL……..
Mario Lemieux took the NHL to task for its response to Friday’s melee between his Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders.
“The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed,” the Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner said in a statement released on Sunday. “We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players. We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not be tolerated and will be met with meaningful disciplinary action.”
The NHL announced just before midnight on Saturday suspensions for Islanders forwards Trevor Gillies (nine games) and Matt Martin (four games), and Pittsburgh’s Eric Godard (automatic 10-game ban for leaving the bench). The Islanders were also fined $100,000.
In total, there were 346 penalty minutes and 10 ejections — most notably Gillies, who blindsided Penguins‘ Eric Tangradi and proceeded to punch then trash talk the forward as he lay on the ice.
NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said “the message should be clear to all players: targeting the head of an opponent by whatever means will be dealt with by suspension.”
Lemieux, however, said Campbell didn’t go nearly far enough and the Hall of Famer who won two Stanley Cup titles as a Pens player questioned whether he still wants to be involved with such an outfit
“If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to re-think whether I want to be a part of it,” he said.
These remarks will surely irk NHL’s front office, and Lemieux could soon be the target of his own disciplinary action in the form of a fine. His words come nearly six weeks since his captain Sidney Crosby was concussed – likely by a blindside hit delivered by Washington’s David Steckel — on a collision that didn’t draw any sort of penalty.
“We are entirely comfortable with how Friday night’s events were handled,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. “We have no other response to Mr. Lemieux’s statement.”
