Suspended? So what?

Brendan Shanahan is a busy man these days. Every other hockey article on ESPN or TSN is about some player who is about to have a phone conference with Shanahan. I personally think he's doing a great job, though a very thankless one. He may seem like the bad guy to some, but in the long run I'm sure his work will be much appreciated, if it will have a significant impact, that is.

All these two- to three-game suspensions could of course lead to a decline in head shots and other unsportsmanlike conduct. But, is it possible it won't? Sure. What if getting a two-game suspension becomes normal around the league? It used to be a huge deal when someone got a suspension, but now it doesn't seem like a big deal.

What Shanahan is doing is undoubtedly good for hockey, but more importantly is that we start teaching the kids that this kind of play has no place in hockey. It's a slow process.

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Shanahan's Back!

After being away from hockey for more than eight months, Brendan Shanahan returned last night when his New Jersey Devils visited the Nashville Predators. In his long awaited comeback game with the Devils, the team that picked Shanahan second overall in the 1987 draft (behind only Pierre Turgeon), he wasted no time scoring his first goal. The Devils had no problem rolling past the Preds 3-1 and Shanahan could have notched at least one more goal.

One can't help compare his successful return to the less triuphant comeback of Mats Sundin. They have both spent more than eight months off the ice, but Sundin is still, after a handful of games, searching for his old touch. And, while Sundin joined a losing Canucks team that just keeps on losing, Shanahan came aboard a team that had five straight wins.

The thing that baffles me is the fact that Brendan Shanahan played last night's game without have practiced much with the team. I can't wait to see how the season turns out for this future Hall of famer.