Dear NHL, you have a problem.

There’s no polite way to say this, so let’s just call it as it is: your “discipline” process is a farce. It’s been this way for a while, but your pathetic collective defence of George Parros’s ridiculous five-game suspension for potentially ending the career of Auston Matthews shows us all that you have no clue about player safety, and haven’t had a clue for a hell of a long time.

Look. I’m going to come clean, here. I’ve been calling your discipline group the “Department of Player Indifference” for the better part of a decade and a half. I’ve seen others call it similar things (“Department of Player Endangerment” being one of the better ones.)

The thing is Parros has been an utter disaster from the get-go, carrying on a tradition of inconsistency and incompetence. Sure, the Radko Gudas hit on Matthews is Exhibit A for the immediate moment. Gudas is a repeat offender with a track history of not giving a shit about anyone else, but not a single educated pundit expected more than a few games, because the history of the DOPS under Parros has favoured the offenders.

Let's crack open a very scary closet of ineffective, insufficient discipline, shall we?

For Canucks fans,

• Brandon Rust getting a mere three games for trying to knock Brock Boeser’s noggin into the next time zone.
• Connor Zary getting a mere two games for drying to knock Elias Pettersson’s noggin into the next time zone.
• Tyler Jeannot receiving a mere three games for poughing Brock Boeser’s noggin into the next month.
• Jason Dickinson getting fuck-all for faceplanting Filip Chytyl’s face into the boards from behind.

For the rest of the audience:

Brad Marchand not even receiving a safety hearing for this dirty, predatory head hit:

https://youtu.be/1Y1miXPP2Mc?si=k8ObSIw6xzyBDMRo

Tom Wilson. His entire career has been a track record of intentionally injuring opponents, with insufficient repercussions.

How did Mikko Rantinen avoid being suspended for a good period for this dirty hit? In any rational world where player safety is a consideration, this is five games. I’d support ten.

Here’s the thing. I could spend the entire afternoon digging up clip after clip of hockey players doing dangerous things that have endangered players safety, careers and in some cases (Tom Wilson, this means you) lives. There’s dozens of them.

I’m not one for advocating people lose their jobs, but it’s high time Parros was given opportunities to be employed doing something – anything - else. Bring in someone who will reset the lax standards, and start handing out some suspensions with meat behind them.