Minnesota Wild Cal Clutterbuck bites his helmet strap as he lays on the ice after a hit from Edmonton Oilers' Taylor Hall uring third period NHL action at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alta. on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (Amber Bracken/QMI Agency)
CALGARY - James Wisniewski’s suspension prior to the 2011-12 NHL season was extremely harsh.
But its severity was intended to set a standard.
So much for that carrying into the present, because the NHL’s bar on bans has been lowered.
When Wisniewski of the Columbus Blue Jackets was suspended eight regular-season games and a couple of pre-season clashes for hitting Minnesota Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck after the whistle, it caught everybody’s attention.
The banishment, essentially 10% of the season, was supposed to show the league was serious about nefarious acts.
