Excuse an awkward question. BUT where was the media and the politicians when Malkin rammed Willie Mitchell head first into the boards? But I forgot, Willie was only a local boy playing for an unknown West Coast team. Malkin was a 'STAR' with an important U.S. team. I feel sorry for Crosby but he should have earned enough that he could retire comfortably. perhaps qualify for university.
This situation is a poor indicator for the playoffs, as the NHL is still trying to sell hockey to ESPN who will be trying to sell the games to joe football in the US, There will be a tendancy to be generous to the teams from US cities, In a country where only one in four high schools teaches geography, who will care about being fair to an unknown team from an obscure Canadian city?