Lol, this league is a joke. I could make the argument that Kane's cross check to the face was actually worse than Landy's.
If I was Avs ownership/management I'd be submitting that video to the league and asking WTF and demanding an explanation, but that would mean that Kroenke and Co. were actually paying attention to the Avs, which we know doesn't happen. So I guess we'll chalk this one up to league bias and favoritism.
It's not really Kroenke but Sakic and co definetely have to raise the issue in this instance. We don't know if it happens or not but Sakic is too much of the nice guy I'd guess to do it.
That is a big part of the problem. No one in the organization puts a fight, or sticks up for their guys in these situations. They just let it happen. The DPoS knows they'll just let it happen, and they know the media in Colorado is a joke, and they're (up until this year maybe) a non playoff team that the fans aren't as emotionally invested in.
They know they won't get any heat from anyone regarding their decisions and non decisions about suspensions.
As opposed to big market US teams or Canadian teams with huge media presences, and biased pundits that will complain 24/7 on TV and online about plays that happened either to, or by their players. They have GM's and coaches that will get on the mic and say the other teams player deserves a suspension because of a bad play, or their own player doesn't deserve a suspension because of x y and z
Look how Bednar handles these incidents. After the hit that concussed Duchene that I posted on the last page. he was asked by Terry Frei whether he wants the DPoS to look at the hit, and he flat out says "NO." Then he starts making excuses for Trouba, saying it was incidental contact.
He knew it was a high hit, that Duchene had concussion symptoms, and that it came from Trouba (one of the best defenseman on a division rival) but he didn't seem to care. Doesn't even need to be looked at by the league according to him.
Then you look at how he handled Landy's incident after the game, Before the suspension, he says he thinks it could go either way, in terms of a suspension. Which basically gives the league the green light to give him however many games they want, because they know the team won't give any push back.
After the suspension was handed out, he starts out smiling about it, and says you got to live with the consequences. No comment about the excessive amount of games.
He never ever complains about bad calls by the ref during games either, and I think that affects them there as well. Other coaches know how to work the refs. They get borderline calls go their way all the time, because refs know they might have blown the previous call, and they'll get yelled at and embarrassed if they make or miss another one.
Bednar doesn't even try because he seems to think the team can't handle any sort of emotion. I think this leads to more bad calls against, and less legit penalties called for. Over the course of a season, this adds up. Especially when they happen during key moments in tight games.
Sakic didn't say shit about the Duchene or Landy play publicly. Who knows how he handled them with the league privately, but I think most people can see he's not the type of personality to put up much of a fuss, if he did at all.
I think this should be a big gut check moment for the Avs. Seeing how they've fought their way into playoff contention, and they just watched the league give an excessive amount of games to their biggest leader, and one of their best players. They need to start putting more effort into PR and trying to gain an advantage by sticking up for their players publicly.
It's a game, but 30 other teams are playing it, and the Avs aren't.