INSIDE HOCKEY

Trying to shed the stigma of a barbaric league, the disciplinarians in the “new NHL” have ruled, and Jordin Tootoo has been suspended five games for protecting himself and having a lucky swing. When a player skates hard into your fist, the outcome is inevitable. Stephan Robidas' bad timing led to him being knocked unconscious late in the third period of Saturday night's 3-2 win by the Predators in Nashville.

After the clean hit on Modano, Stephan Robidas, Trevor Daley, and Marty Turco were skating with voracity and intense hatred towards Tootoo; all three were looking to make Tootoo pay for checking the ex-captain. In less than a second after the hit, Tootoo literally picked himself up from the ice, caught a glimpse of the Stars' players charging towards him, and he instinctively launched a cannon of a straight-armed punch.

Had Tootoo been pushed by any of the three combatants, he would have certainly been driven into the boards as he was in a vulnerable position. Tootoo would have missed the next five games whether he was suspended or suffered a concussion.

"Robidas was coming in on a full head of steam on me," Tootoo said. "I was protecting myself. I think Robidas should be the one that's ready for whatever is coming at him."

Bob McKenzie of Toronto-based TSN said, "Is it a suspendable offense? There's no question in my mind that it is. My only question is how many games it will be. My guess is six to ten. I'd be surprised if it carries over into the playoffs, but you never know."

Phil Esposito and Mark Messier (retired NHL players) both said that Tootoo did not deserve a suspension. Although Esposito did later say that a three game vacation for Tootoo might help the league prevent future acts of excessive violence.

Bill Clement of Versus said, "In 1983, a player would not get suspended for this type of behavior, but you could also smoke on airplanes back then."

The new NHL needs to win over more fans to compete with the other big leagues, so this suspension should not come as a surprise. Modano's second goal of the game came on the ensuing power-play after the Tootoo-Robidas incident. Modano now has 503 NHL goals and has moved into first place for American-born players.

Tootoo helped Modano achieve this record by giving the Stars' power-play the fuel it needed for a score. What did Modano give Tootoo? A one-handed slash to the back after the play and several chippy slashes throughout the game.

Ultimately, the big question is where to draw the line of protecting oneself versus allowing other players to attack without any repercussion.