Daniel Carcillo has a pretty colorful history when it comes to fines and suspensions from the NHL. The Blackhawks forward usually skates on a pretty fine line when it comes to playing aggressive hockey and dangerous hockey, so it came as no surprise that he was suspended for six games after an ugly cross check on Mathieu Perreault.
Did Carcillo learn anything from his most recent suspension? Yes and no. Mostly no.
Carcillo admits that you can’t make a play like he did in the NHL, but he apparently has no remorse for his most recent infraction.
Carcillo: “Obviously you can’t do what I did in the league today. There’s no room for it. So take your medicine and try and move forward."
— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) February 3, 2015
However, that doesn’t mean Carcillo is going to change how he plays. In fact, Carcillo makes it sound like even a lengthier suspension won’t cause a change in how he plays.
Will the suspension alter the way #Blackhawks F Daniel Carcillo plays? “No. It hasn’t yet. It’s not going to.”
— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) February 3, 2015
If you’ve ever wondered how short suspensions impact a repeat offender, here’s your answer. Carcillo’s track record is littered with bad hits and the NHL continues to hand out relatively weak punishments. Six games for a guy like Carcillo is nothing and it’s now clear that the suspension didn’t get the message across that he needs to change the way he plays.
Take note, NHL. The next Carcillo punishment needs to send a message.
