Jim Lang

Jim Lang is a Connected anchor and NFL reporter for Sportsnet. Also check out Jim's website, www.jimlang.ca

Sean Avery tends to get under the skin of his opponents (and teammates).

This week, Clubber is asked how the NHL decides suspensions and explains how his newsroom Iron Maiden tribute didn't go exactly as planned.

Name: Chris

Question: Clubber - where's your Ask Jim Lang blog?! Reading it and getting a few laughs every week was our favourite thing to do at work, and since the site got redesigned I can't find anything. I think you should go out with one, last, big, blog in video format, including bleached wigs and some ‘80s metal action.

I'm thinking Iron Maiden would be appropriate.

 Jim (Clubber) Lang says:

Hi Chris. It is funny you should mention Iron Maiden.

A few weeks back I was trying to re-enact the live “Run to the Hills” video in the Sportsnet newsroom and it didn’t go over very well with some of the network big wigs. (I think some of the old dues on the third floor are more into The Carpenters than Iron Maiden).

The health and safety department were ticked at me when one of my home-made flash pods nearly started a three-alarm blaze. Also, I think I picked up an HR violation when I came into work wearing a pair of Bruce Dickinson model skin-tight spandex pants.

But have no fear, the mail bag is back. The hard-working crew at the web site vows to make it easier for readers to find it and ask questions.

Name: Kris

Question: Much has been made about the NHL having a double-standard when it comes to supplementary discipline for its star players, and I can't say I entirely disagree. Do you think the various skills levels of players affect how discipline is meted out? Maybe you could give us the "Five Tiers of Justice" with examples of who gets away with the most offences based on their star power.

 Jim (Clubber) Lang says:

Hi Kris with a “K.” This is one of the most closely-guarded secrets in the NHL head office in New York: the “Five Tiers of Justice.”

Tier 1 – The Super Stars. Think Chris Pronger nearly decapitating someone in the playoffs and getting a one-game suspension. Oh wow, one whole game. That will teach Pronger not to attempt dental surgery with his composite Warrior stick. Just like in life, there are different rules for the stars and the NHL is no different. Chris Pronger is the NHL’s equivalent of a made man in the Mafia. Pronger is totally untouchable and as we saw in the playoffs last year, the man can seemingly do whatever he wants on the ice and get away with it.

Tier 2 – The players who usually never do anything wrong, but the league has to give them some kind of punishment for their actions. Think Scott Niedermayer getting suspended 10 games when he hit Peter Worrell in the head with his stick.

Tier 3 – The badass tough guys who don’t really care how much time they have to serve, because they are never going to change. Think Dave Manson and Dale Hunter.

Tier 4 – This is the Sean Avery super-pest tier. These are the group of players that piss everyone off and most of their teammates won’t miss them if they get suspended. Think Avery or Steve Ott.

Tier 5 – These are the poor sods on the fringe that are healthy scratches most nights. Pity these poor buggers if they ever do anything wrong because Colin Campbell wouldn’t even think twice about making them an example for the rest of the league. Think Jesse Boulerice or Marty McSorley at the end of his career. You know, lets suspend a guy for X amount of games when he is likely playing in his final game.

Even the most respected and experienced hockey minds have no real way of knowing exactly how many games a player would get if suspended. When James Wisniewski decided to go all “Ron Jeremy” on Sean Avery, we all read about a possible suspension that ranged anywhere from four to 20 games. Of course, Wisniewski received a two-game suspension. Meanwhile, when Avery made a rude comment about Dion Phaneuf’s girlfriend a few years ago, he received a six-game suspension.

The only logical explanation is that Wisniewski made his rude gesture to Avery. Hence, the two-game suspension.

If Wisniewski has tried to make such a heinous gesture to Sid the Kid, he might have received 12 games.

Name: Jay

Question: Hey Jim! Love the blog. Simple hockey question I've always wondered about: suppose a player gets a five-minute major and the other team scores twice on the power play. Assuming that is the only power play of the game, will the team that scored twice be two-for-one on the power play in the game? I can't figure this one out.

 Jim (Clubber) Lang says:

Hi Jay, I love these kinds of questions. Like you, there seemed to be some confusion if you went by some old NHL box scores.

This is why.

Speaking to the people who run the NHL stats department, over time the league changed the way they account for goals scored on a five-minute power play. Back in the day, if team “A” scored three goals on a five-minute major, the stats would show them as being three-for-one on the power play.

But in the modern NHL, the stats for goals scored on a five-minute major is very different. In your scenario, the only power play in a game was a five-minute major. If team “A” scored twice during that five-minute major, the stat line would indicate that they went two-for-three on the power play. It was explained to me that a five-minute major counts for three power plays on the stat sheet because the player can not come out of the box until it expires.

Since you can’t go by a half penalty on the stat sheet, they round it up to next number, hence a five-minute major counts for three on an official game sheet.

I hope that helps.

Name: Colin in Edmonton

Question: Great blog Jim, always interesting. My question has to do with the financial impact on NHL owners when a player is injured (assume out for the season). Do NHL teams take out insurance on players’ contracts in case they get hurt for a long period of time? Is the owner still on the hook for the full salary? If not, and the team gets insurance paid out, then would that not imply that the owner is off the hook for the salary and would therefore make more profit (since his expenses just went down)? Hoping you can shed some light on this. I’ve been wondering for some time now and never hear about it on sports radio stations.

All the best,

Colin in E-Town

 Jim (Clubber) Lang says:

Hi Colin. Thanks for the question and the kind words. Teams in the NHL are allowed to insure seven players. In most cases, it is the team’s seven highest paid players. However, speaking to a former NHL executive, he said that some teams will use one of the seven spots for a player who is chronically injured every year (Canucks’ defenceman Sami Salo would be a prime example). When a player misses 30 games, the team is allowed to collect 80 per cent of his salary through the insurance policy.

Name: Hello Newman

Question: Hey Clubber. How can I continue to defend referees when they are constantly making calls that rip my heart out?

 Jim (Clubber) Lang says:

Newman, you cannot defend what is indefensible. Pick a sport or a league right now and you will see ample evidence of refs/umps making calls that will rip out your heart.

Newman, stop defending the umps and start getting mad at the leagues they work for. For instance, maybe Major League Baseball will move out of the Dark Ages and allow video review for a home run where a fan clearly interferes with the outfielder trying to make a catch.

Questionable officiating is hurting all sports and all leagues. We live in an age where you the fan, have access to state-of-the-art, high definition replays in all sports. So if you and I can watch at home and see what is right and what is wrong, how can the official in the replay booth not see it?

I really believe that more leagues should copy what the NHL is doing with their video war room. There has to be a better way to officiate sporting events. Fans are frustrated. Coaches are frustrated. Players are frustrated. Going forward, that is the biggest challenge for all professional sports leagues; improving the quality of their officials and the way they call games.

That is it for this week, please keep the questions rolling in. I have promised the big wigs on the third floor that I will not attempt to recreate any more ‘80s metal band videos in the news room.

But I did not promise them that I wouldn’t share them with you the faithful readers.

Ladies and gentlemen, Up the Irons!