No one can have a sense of justice because of the indiscipline of disciplinary decisions, writes Jussi Paasi.
It is completely incomprehensible that the US Austin Watson did not receive a ban on gaming from his outrageous head-to-head tackle. Watson chased the Finnish striker straight with his elbow Teemu Hartikainen helmet. It was not clear to anyone what Watson was trying to do in the situation.
Fortunately, Hartikainen was not seriously injured. However, that does not eliminate the harsh fact that the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) is signaling with its decision that it is not at all interested in the health of the players. You can tackle your head, there will be no ban on playing.
The struggle between Finland and the United States was hot. The coolers were distributed with buckles. Saku Mäenalanen sai Jaycob Megnaan for his ugly tackling a two-minute sentence. The rivet would have had the ingredients for a bigger sentence, but the sanction came only after the game: Mäenalanen was banned from playing one match.
So how can it be possible that an incident in the same game that is many degrees more dull will go completely past the IIHF?
Lehtinen is known as a smiling and positive person who almost never charts. On Wednesday, GM’s smile froze. Disappointment and frustration shone on his face. And understand it. No one can have access to justice because of the indiscriminate nature of the above-mentioned disciplinary decisions.
The confusion of the International Hockey Federation is unfortunately not surprising. Over the years, it has become customary for decisions to be made often in summary, without a clear line.
It also says a lot that the reasons for Mäenalasen’s ban are now known to everyone. In the case of Watson, the IIHF did not tell the Lion or the media anything. Except, of course, that there will be no follow-up. The silence conveys a scary message: the safety of the players is not of interest.