Aaron Rome's Suspension
Aaron Rome of the Vancouver Canucks has been handed a 4-game suspension for his illegal hit on Nathan Horton. One of the people who the NHL reached out to for help in determining the length of the suspension was Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM Brian Burke. Burke was asked to assist because of his experience with the suspension of Claude Lemieux in 1996.
Earlier this season, Toronto traded Tomas Kaberle to Boston for a conditional 2012 second-round draft pick. Burke also has a history with the Canucks.
He had a dispute with the Canucks over allegations that he was tampering with the Sedins in 2009. His contract wasn’t renewed despite having turned them into an exciting team that consistently made the playoffs. It would be reasonable for an outside observer to suspect that he doesn’t want to see Vancouver win the Stanley Cup. But he’s also conflicted the other way as well! If Boston wins the Stanley Cup, the first round pick that the Leafs got in the Tomas Kaberle deal is 30th overall. If they lose the Stanley Cup, it’s 29th.
So he obviously wants both teams to lose. Seriously though, it’s odd that the NHL would turn to the GM of another team, especially when his team has interest in the outcome of the series.
I’d also like to add that 4 games in the playoff is a lot. Shouldn’t there be some sort of ratio at work? A 4-game suspension in the playoffs is a lot harsher than a 4-game suspension in the regular season, isn’t it? Oh well. Rome is gone and Alex Burrows remains. It seems the NHL deals only with results. Bergeron loses a finger, Burrows sits. Horton doesn’t bang his head on the ice, he pops right back up and Rome gets a game.