The new sheriff enforcing the law

It's a bad time to be a predator in the NHL.

Brendan Shanahan, the league's new vice-president of player safety, isn't taking a wait-and-see attitude to his new position, which includes doling out punishment for bad behaviour.

Shanahan, who has played the game on both sides of the lockout, has had a dream start.

In the first week of pre-season games, he has lowered the boom on six players who have shown blatant disrespect for the safety of opponents and for the game in general.

The suspensions have varied from eight games (plus the rest of the pre-season) for Columbus's James Wisnieski (head shot), five for Philly's Jody Shelley (check from behind) and Anaheim's J.F. Jacques (goonery) to two for Buffalo's Brad Boyes (head shot) and one for Calgary's Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Lebolond (check from behind).

The easy thing to say is that Shanahan is cleaning up the mess he inherited from vice-president Colin Campbell, the league's former disciplinarian.

Campbell indeed had his apparent inconsistencies over time. His body of work as the NHL's chief sheriff sometimes painted him into corners when common sense would have dictated harsher penalties.

But never lose sight of the fact that Campbell was only acting on behalf of his employers, mainly the league's 30 general managers. Until very recently, the majority of those GMs were, in our view, lagging in their understanding of some of the game's new realities and violence.

As well, they were not bent out of shape about head shots and other kinds of dangerous play, a lot of it along the boards, so Campbell often ruled with an understanding view, an insight into the rule-book loopholes for the modern-day game and a lot of $2,500 fines (the maximum allowed).

This fall, Shanahan has had the benefit of not being tied to Campbell's track record of decisions.

Shanahan and his clean slate also have the good fortune to be acting upon and enforcing some new standards the GMs and owners have endorsed, mainly changes to the boarding and head-shot rules that were the fruit of their discussions last March in Florida.

It's a new day in the NHL and responsibility has shifted in many instances to the hitter when it comes to a defenceless or unsuspecting opponent.

And it's overdue.

Shanahan's decisions have been professionally and clearly rendered, including with video, and there can be no mistaking his message that items that may have slipped through the cracks in the past, either by rule or by reputation, are no longer tolerable.

In particular, it's heartening to see that "who" doesn't matter. The Wisniewski hit last week on Minnesota's Cal Clutterbuck would draw little sympathy around the league, but it was after the game-ending horn, Clutterbuck was vulnerable, unsuspecting and innocent where he was, and he was clearly hit in the head.

Boyes, an unlikely candidate for discipline, was acknowledged as a past good citizen and Shanahan didn't mind his explanation that he meant no harm.

But he targeted his opponent's head, so two games was a must, Shanahan decided. We can never know for sure, but a fine was the more likely outcome before this September.

The corners who won't let go of that past will still be barking loudly about Shanahan's opening act. Competitor that he is, we can just imagine the angry, private disagreement from Wisniewski's Columbus coach, Scott Arniel.

But let the noise, all of it, be water off a duck's back. And don't worry for a second about the "poor, confused" NHL players, who some will say don't know any longer what's legal and what's not.

Predators are just going to have to find a new calling card or sit out more. The honest majority, with assistance from the high-priced coaching and support staff that every team employs, always finds a way to adapt.

Players figured out how to handle new obstruction standards. They'll figure this out, too.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 28, 2011 C4