In a move that should surprise absolutely no one who has seen the farce that is NHL supplemental discipline, Shea Weber was fined $2,500.00 for his WWE-style turnbuckle shot on Henrik Zetterberg last night.
I’m not shocked at the lack of suspension as much as I am confused. The NHL has stated all season that they take hits to the head very seriously, and for anyone to argue that Weber didn’t intend to use the glass as a means to open Zetterberg’s head like a coconut is obviously a Predators fan or being intentionally obtuse.
It was mentioned that the lack of any injury to Zetterberg played a large part in the decision, which is stupid on its face since it should be about the act itself, not the consequences. If I intend to push someone into oncoming traffic and they somehow manage to catch themselves before getting splattered by a bus, that doesn’t mean I didn’t do anything wrong. The act of fining Weber means the NHL is saying that he did something that required discipline beyond the minor penalty he received at the end of the game. By refusing to suspend him for a clearly intentional blow to the head (the force of which can be debated), the NHL is once again saying they are only interested in paying lip-service to head shots and concussions and actually don’t give a rat’s ass about player safety.
Whatever. This just means the Predators and their fans don’t have any excuses built-in when the Wings win Game 2 and take home-ice advantage back.
