Anaheim's Corey Perry Suspended 4 Games for Elbowing Claude Giroux

OK...While I agree with the post on it's point, I believe there is something missing. I'm not 100% convinced that it's about an elbow vs a sex joke. I believe it to be more about Perry vs Avery. I have said for years that there are different levels of punishment for different players. Pronger comes to mind right off the bat. I don't know that anything will ever be done to correct the issue, but it seem like the more of a "star" player the person is the easier the punishment is.

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Much was made last year about Randy Jones' really bad hit to Patrice Bergeron, for which Jones received a 2 game suspension. That hit, bad as it was, happened in the normal course of play and was made potentially life-threatening because Bergeron made a very bad split-second decision to turn toward the boards with Jones already committed. Jones, who had something like 6 minutes of penalties up to that point in the season, made the very believable comment that the hit was not malicious and he called the hospital saying he hoped Bergeron would be OK.

Contrast that with the 25 games that idiot Jesse Boulerice got for trying to kill Ryan Kessler with his stick. Jesse was a repeat offender and I'm glad he's not in the league anymore.

I don't follow the Ducks much, though I used to like to listen to their games on NHL Radio back in the days when Lupul was on the team (really fun announcers!). I know nothing about Corey Perry, but this hit was every hockey parent's nightmare. In fact, looking at it in slow-mo, I say it was never intended to be a hit but was a vicious attack with intent to injure. The wide stance (notice Perry had stopped skating when Giroux gave up the puck), the weight transfer, cocking the shoulders and bringing the stick back, and also the elbow was up from the beginning. Not a microsecond thing like Jones, but an act of timing and deliberation. He looks a lot more like a slugger lining up the long ball than a hockey player trying to take the body. Only the ball was the kid's head.

Then Perry has the chutzpah to say he didn't mean to hurt Giroux. You'll never get me to believe that. I marvel that no damage was done to the cervical spine and that McCrossin and Stevens let the kid play on!

Not a bad hit. An attack with intent to injure. Four games. Ask Steve Moore - Perry has gotten away with attempted murder. I shudder to think that someone else will have to be attacked the next time Perry has a Boulerice moment, and that only then will he be (maybe) shut out of the league as a repeat offender.

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