from TSN.ca:

Ottawa Senators forward Jarkko Ruutu has been suspended two games, without pay by the NHL.

The NHL had a disciplinary hearing for Ruutu on Wednesday morning. The incident in question occurred during the third period of Tuesday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Ruutu delivered an elbow to the head of Maxim Lapierre.

“(We’re) disappointed that it is two games, but obviously the NHL have set a very high standard for a hit like this, that I felt deflected off the shoulder to the head. Especially for a player with no history of suspensions, no history of even being called in front of the league. But we do have to abide by what is called. And obviously going forward we know now that this is the standard for anybody that gets hit in the head area,” said general manager Bryan Murray in a release on Wednesday afternoon.

“Well obviously, it is what it is, and I have to live with it,” said Ruutu in a release. “Like I said, I had no intention to do it, but accidents will happen and I’ll have to deal with the consequences.”

Lapierre did not appear to suffer any injury on the play and Ruutu was assessed a two-minute minor for charging, but the infraction did violate at least two tenets of the NHL’s policy on hits to the head. One, Ruutu appeared to target Lapierre’s head and only made contact with the head. Two, the hit was delivered with an elbow.

Rocket:

“But at this time, the rulings are far too arbitrary with punishment seemingly dictated by resulting injuries rather than severity and intent of the hit.”

I wrote the above with respect to Tom Kostopoulos’ 3 game suspension for his hit on Mike Van Ryn. Colin Campbell’s ruling today does nothing to disprove my assessment.

First, let me say that Jarkko Ruutu deserved a suspension and two games is better than none. But, Ruutu is well known for his cheap shots and his intent on the play was clearly to injure Lapierre. Not only did Ruutu go after Lapierre, he celebrated afterwards. None of that applies to Kostopoulos, so how does TK get 3 games and Ruutu only 2?

I also have to take the NHL to task given that Kurt Sauer’s forearm to the head of Andrei Kostitsyn and Mike Commodore’s vicious elbow again to the head of AK-46 were not assessed any supplementary discipline when clearly there was an intent to injure in both cases. In a side issue, I am thoroughly disappointed in the way Guy Carbonneau dealt with the incidents so differently. Carbo clearly lobbied for the NHL to review the Lapierre hit but said little when Kostitsyn received his two head shots.

Comments on Kostopoulos suspension:

http://allhabs.blogspot.com/2008/11/nhl-suspends-kostopoulos-three-games.html