Mario Lemieux Right on In Calling Out NHL

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How often do you hear one of the greatest players ever say the NHL "failed" to do the right thing? ... Lemieux doesn't speak often and when he does, he should be listened to.

How often do you hear one of the greatest players ever say the NHL "failed" to do the right thing? How often does an owner of a Stanley Cup champion say the NHL is soft on crime?

Lemieux doesn't speak often and when he does, he should be listened to.

He was right on when he had enough of hooking and holding and called the NHL a "garage" league in 1992 when he was one of the game's biggest stars.

And now, his remarks are far more scathing, maybe because the truth hurts.

By saying the NHL "failed" he is sending a clear message to Gary Bettman and the commissioner and his employees at hockey operations should listen.

Lemieux is telling them to clean up their act, to take a stand and throw the book at people, and he is well within his rights to question whether he wants to continue to be part of a group that fails to meet the challenge.

The last thing Bettman needs is to have one of the most respected players in the history of the game, an owner who knows the playing and business side of the puck, walk away from the game because the NHL failed to protect its assets, the players.

You can't swing a dead cat at a governors meeting without hitting a For Sale sign on one of the teams, and having Mario Le Magnifique bolt would be a major blow for hockey.

But Bettman has shown a knack for alienating people he should have in his corner.

Wayne Gretzky is on the outside looking in because of the way the NHL is handling the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes. What does that say by having The Great One not being part of the game?

Then there is Sidney Crosby and it doesn't take much to read between the lines of Lemieux's statement. He's pissed at how the NHL mishandled Crosby's concussion.

Crosby has been on the sidelines since New Year's Day thanks to a controversial head hit by Washington's David Steckel. The puck wasn't anywhere near Crosby when he was hit.

There was no penalty on the play and no one is sure when the NHL's brightest star will resume playing.

The NHL failed Crosby more than a month ago just like it failed to go far enough in suspending Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke for four games for leaving his feet in an attempt to crush the cranium of Columbus defenseman Fedor Tyutin.

Four games was a joke.

Back to Lemieux.

The Penguins co-owner was reacting to how the NHL suspended two members of the New York Islanders and fined the organization $100,000.

The Islanders went into Friday's game still bitter about their previous meeting with Pittsburgh and seemed intent to take matters into their own hands. Trevor Gillies gave Eric Tangradi a concussion -- hitting him in the head before punching him in the face and taunting him -- while Matt Martin grabbed an unsuspecting Max Talbot and dropped him with a couple punches.

In announcing the suspensions, the NHL warned that punishments will continue to be harsh for similar infractions down the road.

"The message should be clear to all players: targeting the head of an opponent by whatever means will be dealt with by suspension," said NHL vice-president Colin Campbell.

The message was clear enough for Lemieux.

"We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players," the Hockey Hall of Famer said in his statement. "We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not be tolerated and will be met with meaningful disciplinary action.

"If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to re-think whether I want to be a part of it."

When Boston defenseman Andrew Ference spoke his mind about a head hit by teammate Dan Paille on Raymond Sawada of the Dallas Stars, he was called everything under the sun and none of it good.

Now we have Mario Lemieux saying the NHL "failed" to do the right thing.

He's right and everyone knows it.

The NHL failed to get it right, again.