Mario Lemieux is concerned about the direction of the NHL.
The Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner released a scathing statement Sunday about the league's handling of a fight-filled game between his team and the New York Islanders.
Lemieux called Friday's game a "travesty" and said the NHL "failed" to deliver a clear and strong message about what conduct is acceptable.
On Saturday night, league disciplinarian Colin Campbell held an in-person hearing with the Islanders before announcing the punishment — giving Trevor Gillies a nine-game suspension, Matt Martin a four-game suspension and fining the team $100,000 US.
That wasn't enough to satisfy Lemieux.
"We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players," the Hockey Hall of Famer said in his statement. "We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not be tolerated and will be met with meaningful disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow accepted the NHL's punishment following a fight-filled game against Pittsburgh. He's just wondering why the Penguins also weren't fined $100,000.
Snow spoke before the Islanders' game at Buffalo, a day after Campbell fined the team for failing to control its players. The punishment followed the Islanders' 9-3 win over Pittsburgh on Friday in a game that produced 346 penalty minutes.
The Penguins were not fined, and only Eric Godard was suspended 10 games for leaving the bench to join a third-period brawl.
Snow said he was surprised the Penguins also weren't fined, while noting that no Islanders player left the bench to fight.
