Controversies All Around

It's definitely been the week of controversy, especially in NASCAR & the NHL.

Cars flipping at the end of the race and someone ending up with a concussion during the Penguins game.
Both situations have sparked large amounts of debate. I'm going to attempt to break them down and you decide for yourself.


On Sunday, Carl Edwards created havoc when he intentionally wrecked Brad Keselowski, with only two laps remaining in the race. Edwards was over 100 laps down after an incident early in the race caused damage to his car that required extensive repairs. Keselowski was fighting for a top 10 finish. This incident was not the first time these two have tangled, the first time being last year at Talladega when Keselowski caused Edwards to wreck on the last lap, causing him to fly into the fence, which thankfully did not give way under the weight of the car. They had an incident earlier in Sundays race, which led to the damage on Edward's car. The late-race incident was Edward's form of "payback". He stated that he HAD in fact, intented to wreck the 12 car, but had not meant for it to become airborne.
Today, NASCAR announced Edward's would be on probation for 3 weeks...seriously. That's all the punishment they handed out. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of either driver (although I can stand Carl more) but this is too light of a fine. Carl had the intent of wrecking someone who was actually in contention at the end of the race, while he was basically riding around for points. I realize fans complained the last few seasons about NASCAR policing the guys too much, and we were all excited when they announced they would be giving the drivers longer leashes this season. But not at the expense of someone getting hurt. There are 3 short track races coming up. Perfect opportunity for payback, and they usually are the scenes of some of the most memorable battles. Carl screwed up, and he's gonna have to deal with the concequences.



Also on Sunday, the Penguins faced the Bruins. The game was intense & physical for the whole 60 minutes. One hit however, has become the talk of the hockey world. During the 3rd period, with his team up 2-1, Penguins forward Matt Cooke threw a blindside shoulder into Bruins forward Marc Savard, knocking him unconscious for a few moments, and resulting in a grade 2 concussion. Immediately, many of those in the media began calling Cooke a dirty & vicious player who needs to be suspended. Even as a Penguins fan, I agree Cooke should have some sort of punishment, but I think his reputation preceeded him in this situation.
Please compare the following hits:

Mike Richards on David Booth


Cooke on Savard


Most will agree that Richard's hit was worse than Cooke's. Richard's punishment?? Nothing. There was some outrage over this, but nothing near what Cooke is getting. Why the difference? Richards is the star player & captain of the Flyers. Cooke is a 3rd/4th liner, known for agitating and big, often questionable, hits.
So his reputation is hurting him in this situation, having already been suspended twice in the last 14 months. Technically, Cooke should get nothing, just as Richards did. However, he most likely will simply because he has a history.

The NHL is currently trying to create a rule to limit/place a ban on headshots. Will it work? Hard to say. Hits to the head should be taken out, as they often result in the worst injuries. That being said, these guys still get hurt from every other aspect of the game. You can't elimiate all the injuries. As far as hits to the head, there at least needs to be a clear definition of what exactly this kind of hit is. Many of the players don't understand what is/is not legal, creating confusion when they are left to police themselves.

We already know the punishment handed down on Edward's, and we will know Cooke's by Thursday, when the Pens travel to North Carolina to take on the Hurricanes. We will keep you updated on both situations as more happens.