Clutter-Gate: A Lesson in Panic and Lunacy

The things I am sometimes forced to write about, whether out of sheer idiocy or lunacy...Even ESPN keyed in on the "punch heard 'round the world." When ESPN picks up on hockey on Sportscenter, you can bet something stupid happened.

My Google Reader and Twitter feed are filled with people asking about the incident, and with fans wondering if Clutterbuck will recieve supplemental discipline.

Video, the rule in play, and discussion... after the jump. Sigh.

The Video

The Rule

The Debate

The debate seems to be pretty minimal here, and yet people still are asking if Clutterbuck will be suspended. The answer is pretty simple.

No. He won't. It's not even a question, really. The rule says "deliberately" about a dozen times. This type of rule also follows a sort of pecking order. The refs gave Clutterbuck a ten minute misconduct, not a game misconduct. This means the refs on the ice did not feel it was deliberate. The misconduct penalty likely had more to do with getting him off the ice and ending the lunacy before it got too far out of control, more so than it was about any sort of real misconduct.

Without the misconduct penalty, the league isn't going to step in and say, "Nope, that was deliberate, five games." As suspension crazed as the league is, they have to admit that sometimes, things just happen. THis is oneof those things.

Linesmen have the responsibility to break up fist fights. This isn't the first time one of them has taken a shot across the bow because of it. It also will not be the last.

Please, can this go away now? It was an accident. The refs think so, everyone in hockey thinks so. It's time to let it go.