Game-5 between the Hurricanes and the Bruins was sure to be a battle, but the physical play may have gone just a little too far. With just under 3-minutes remaining in regulation, Scott Walker of the Hurricanes sucker-punched Bruins' Defenseman Aaron Ward. With Boston leading 4-0 at the time of the incident, the game had pretty much been decided.
Following the Bruins fourth goal, the game began to get physical. Mark Stuart dropped the gloves with Tim Conboy, and moments later, Walker decided to set the tone for game-6.
Hurricanes' forward Matt Cullen scuffled with Aaron Ward in front of the Bruins net, when Scott Walker came skating over, throwing his left hand into Ward's face. This caused Ward and Cullen to separate, and brought Ward and Walker face-to-face. Ward clearly had no interest in fighting, and stood with his gloves on, and arms at his side. Walker dropped his gloves, however, and hit Ward right on the left side of his face. Ward would drop straight to the ice, and it is believed he has a broken orbital.
Scott Walker received a 2-minute instigator penalty, a 5-minute (major) fighting penalty, and a 10-minute game-misconduct penalty for his actions. According to NHL rules, any player that receives an instigator penalty in the final 5-minutes of a game (or overtime), is automatically suspended for the following game.
This automatic suspension was rescinded during a hearing with Colin Campbell, NHL Senior Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations. It was determined that the incident was not a "sucker-punch," and Walker will be available to play in game-6. Walker was fined $2,500.
The NHL never ceases to amaze me! The rationale is that Ward had the ability to defend himself, and therefore, it is not a "sucker-punch." Ward even accepted the ruling, saying: "I was dropping my gloves, it was my understanding that I was engaged in an altercation."
I'm pretty sure that Ward is not entirely okay with the incident! You can't convince me that he is just fine with the idea that Walker was the third guy in, took a clean shot at him while he was clearly not ready to fight; his arms to his sides, his gloves still on, and still holding his stick nonetheless.
Daniel Carcillo was forced to sit out game-2 against the Penguins in the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals for hitting Max Talbot in the back of the head following a face-off. This wasn't a terrible thing for the Flyers, as Carcillo seems to do more harm than good when given ice-time, but he was given a suspension for his actions.
I am trying to figure out why Walker's actions are more acceptable than Carcillo's. The bottom line is...I can't! Carcillo probably earned his suspension, but Walker deserved every bit of a suspension he didn't receive! Where is the consistency?
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Something to consider:
- Scott Walker was fined $2,500. His current salary is $2.5-Million. That is .1-percent of his salary. Yes, POINT-1-percent...NOT 1-percent! For an average person making $50,000, that would be the equivalent to $50.
- Since Walker was not suspended for game-6, will he be a hunted man?
Original Story:
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