Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey should have been suspended more than one game

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey was suspended on Wednesday for cross checking Minnesota Wild center Eric Staal in the head. He’ll be gone for one contest, but one contest simply isn’t enough.

These NHL playoffs have been amazing. We’re seeing tons of exciting storylines (Vegas Golden Knights), excellent goaltending (Marc-Andre Fleury), and some upsets that could be brewing soon (Columbus Blue Jackets over the Washington Capitals, maybe?).

It’s also turning into the season of the suspension. Or should we say, the season of “Perhaps that’s a suspension, check his teeth again to see if he’s missing any. If not, play on!” First, Los Angeles Kings defensive stalwart Drew Doughty was clipped for a game when he laid a shot to the head of Vegas forward William Carrier. It was iffy, but justifiable. He clearly got him in the head, whether intentional or not, though the two had been going at it all night.

Nazem Kadri of the Toronto Maple Leafs was then told to take a seat for three games after this doozy on Tommy Wingels.

Completely justifiable and in fact could be argued that he deserved more than three. There’s no place in the NHL for a hit that dirty.

Today, we learned that Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey is gone after we can only assume he mistook Eric Staal’s face for a pile of leaves that needed raking.

That play? A measly single game. The best part is Morrissey throwing his hands up afterwards with a “What else can I do?” gesture. Hmm, maybe not that? Maybe anything else but that?

The point is that a single game is laughable. Should it matter if Staal was hurt or not on the play? Nope. Does the excuse that “I thought he was taller and his head was closer to the roof” matter? Nope. What matters is consistency. And also whether or not Morrissey has a history of massaging skulls with lumber. Remember when he somersaulted into Boston Bruin Matt Grzelcyk oh, about a month ago? Neither does the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, apparently.

Maybe they will when it turns to Chris Simon territory and players start taking baseball swings on the regular.

What really is the difference? For that hit, Simon’s NHL career was pretty much done. Why is this one by Morrisey getting a lone game? And why also are these hits being doled out as suspensions yet on the ice it’s either a simple minor or nothing at all? Finally, how does Anaheim Duck Corey Perry, who has a history of trash behavior, receive nothing from this hit?

The disconnect between on the ice and off it is too far apart right now. It’s been too far apart for a long time. Unfortunately, these playoffs are being brandied by goon plays that are suddenly finding a lax response. It’s unfortunate for many reasons. The main one being the focus is now levied towards hits that have no place in the NHL as opposed to excellent games being played in front of wonderful fans.

Do your job and get these types of plays consistently under the same umbrella, or don’t dish out any punishment at all.

Next: 10 reasons Stanley Cup Playoffs are better than NBA Playoffs

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