Wednesday's Potpourri

With the craziness that happened in the OHL over the last couple of days, I've ignored some of the other stuff that's been happening in the hockey world. I'm not diminishing the bullying that the two OHL players did to the women involved, but it's time to move on after today. There were suspensions handed down, and these two immature individuals will have a lot of time to reflect on their indiscretions. There were some other great stories that went down over the last couple of days, though, so let's take a look at what's happening in the hockey world.

Suspensions Handed Down

Greg Betzold and Jake Marchment will have a good chunk of time to think about how they treated two woemn on social media after it was announced today that both will be suspended for the next fifteen games. OHL Commissioner David Branch said in a statement that "this most inappropriate and concerning activity contravenes the league's social networking policy and a number of other policies, including Respect in Sport (Harassment and Abuse) and diversity.

"The social networking conduct displayed by these players goes against what the league stands for and serves to highlight a sense of entitlement that we, as a league, have worked hard to try to eliminate."

I think fifteen games for each player is a good start, but both players should receive some sort of counseling with regards to their behavior. However, this suspension is harsh when it comes to the development of Betzold and Marchment, and I'm glad that Mr. Branch levied a hefty penalty upon them.

Maybe they'll learn that it's better to think before shooting one's mouth off on social media now. I'm pretty sure both players will remain silent on social media apps for a while.

The Leggio Rule

Occasionally, a player will prompt the league to change its rules in order to prevent an instance of genius from happening twice. Rob Ray, for example, had the "Rob Ray Rule" implemented regarding player's fighting straps after he routinely ended up topless in fights because he would velcro his pads to the inside of his jersey, and then not strap the jersey down to his pants.

We may soon see the David Leggio Rule after this happened.

David Leggio used the rulebook to break-up the two-on-nobody and force the Springfield Falcons into a penalty shot by purposely dislodging the net. Leggio took advantage of Rule 63.5 which states, "If the goal post is deliberately displaced by a goalkeeper or player during the course of a 'breakaway,' a penalty shot will be awarded to the non-offending team, which shot shall be taken by the player last in possession of the puck."

Leggio forced the Falcons to take the penalty shot, and he denied the attempt. Clearly, his quick thinking lowered the chance of scoring for the Falcons, and it appears both the AHL and NHL will be looking at altering this rule so that other goaltenders can't pull a Leggio when faced with a precarious situation. The David Leggio Rule will be in place shortly!

Fleury For Four

Marc-Andre Fleury will b a Pittsburgh Penguin for the foreseeable future. After hearing GM Jim Rutherford talk extensively about how Fleury would be the only starting netminder in Pittsburgh, the Penguins signed Fleury to a four-year, $23 million extension today.

I have to admit that while his playoff performances have been less than stellar since winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, Fleury simply wins in the regular season. You can make all the noise you ant about how it's the playoffs that matter, but at $5 million per season for the next four years, there's nothing wrong with this contract whatsoever.

Four Nations

If you're not watching the Four Nations Cup women's hockey tournament, I have to ask why?

Look, if you're going to spout off about how women's hockey isn't as good as men's hockey or some misogynous crap, save it. You're missing out on some excellent hockey. Find a station who is carrying it, and tune in to see some incredible hockey from the national teams.

I'm watching it right now, and you're missing a great Canada-USA battle.

Whitehawks

The Chicago Blackhawks unveiled their uniform that they'll wear against the Washington Capitals on January 1, 2015 in this year's Bridgestone Winter Classic. According to the release, the jerseys were "[i]nspired by their 1957 jersey", and I have to say that they are pretty close to those '57 threads. They wore the secondary logo on the sleeve stripes with the TV numbers above in 1957, and the 1957 jersey actually had the lace-up collar.

For the first time in a long time at a Winter Classic, we may actually have a true throwback jersey on the ice! Kudos to the Blackhawks for sticking with history!

That's about all for tonight, kids. There were other stories, but I'm not going to fill up this page with stories on more suspensions - Jack Johnson - or the AHL's Albany Devils signing Mark Fraser, but we might touch on that tomorrow on The Hockey Show. You don't listen? You're missing out! Tune in tomorrow as we talk hockey and take calls!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!