Shanahan addresses Stanley Cup playoff violence

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The NHL's head disciplinarian, Brendan Shanahan, chose to defend his suspension decisions in Monday's USA Today.

Specifically, Shanahan fully disagrees with the theory many have put forward as the reasoning for such a violent 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs thus far. In Game 1 of the postseason between the Predators and Red Wings, Nashville's Shea Weber grabbed Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg and rammed it into the glass as time expired. Weber was not suspended and fined 2,500.

Shanahan doesn't believe that his decision not to suspend Weber has been a catalyst for the postseason issues, saying "Did you ever sit in a dressing room in the playoffs, and say, I was going to play this one straight tonight, but Shea Weber didnt get suspended so Im going to go to a completely different planet and go off the rails?

He even cites the Andrew Shaw hit on Mike Smith in his explanation:

I dont think Andrew Shaw decided to run a goalie because of Shea Weber. I dont think he woke up that day and said, I think that decision means I can run goalies.

Do you agree with Shanahan's comments? Is each just an isolated incident or did the light punishment for Weber contribute to the problems?

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