Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux said the NHL failed in its punishment of the Islanders following a fight-filled game between the teams — and went so far as to question whether he wanted to stay in the league.
Lemieux, who had a Hockey Hall of Fame playing career with the Penguins, issued a statement Sunday in which he bashed the league’s handling of the aftermath of Friday night’s 9-3 Islanders victory in which there were 346 penalty minutes, 10 ejections, 15 fighting majors and 20 misconducts.
“Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be. But what happened Friday night on Long Island wasn’t hockey. It was a travesty,” Lemieux said. “It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that.”
The NHL suspended Islanders forwards Trevor Gillies for nine games and Matt Martin for four and hit the team with a $100,000 fine late Saturday night, saying the Islanders “must bear some responsibility for their failure to control their players.”
Lemieux, who bought the team out of bankruptcy in 1999 and ended his playing career during the 2005-06 season, said the sanctions weren’t nearly enough.
“The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed,” he said. “We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players. We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not be tolerated and will be met with meaningful disciplinary action.
“If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to rethink whether I want to be a part of it.”
Pittsburgh forward Eric Godard was the only member of the Penguins’ organization to be punished by the NHL. He received an automatic 10-game suspension because he left the bench to join a fight between Islanders’ Micheal Haley and Penguins goalie Brent Johnson.
Pittsburgh also avoided a fine by the league. That drew the ire of Islanders general manager Garth Snow.
“When I saw the suspensions on both sides and the fines, I was a little bit surprised it was just our club that got fined,” Snow said Sunday before the Islanders played at Buffalo. “You can ask the league about it. There’s nothing we can do about it but put it behind us and get ready for Buffalo.”
Snow said he had no intention to appeal the league’s decision, but noted that no Islanders player left the bench to take part in a fight.
“I’m very proud that our team showed restraint,” Snow said. “We came to play hockey and obviously, there’s a lot of things that happen in the course of a game. I’m proud of the way our team competed, and I’m going to support my guys.”
Asked if the punishment was fair, Snow said NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell had a tough job and he would never criticize him.
“I respect the process,” Snow said. “It was a professionally run process.”
Campbell held disciplinary hearings with three Islanders players Saturday at the team’s hotel in Buffalo. All but Zenon Konopka of that group received suspensions.