Pre-game Nashville
Still no word from the NHL on Georges Laraque's possible, likely, suspension. Brad May said today that if Colin Campbell summons you, it's a minimum of four games.
May, obviously familiar with the process (he's been through it before), had a great line about Laraque: "He probably didn't mean to hurt Nik. Georges is just too heavy on his skates. The punishment should be five games and skating lessons."
You know the Wings couldn't care less about Laraque getting suspended. Montreal is in the East and losing Laraque probably helps the Canadiens more than it would hurt them. But the bigger point is sending a clear message that those kinds of hits won't be tolerated.
Nick Lidstrom said, "We have to get rid of plays like that. Clearly he was beaten and he was trying to stop him and he stuck his leg out. That's when guys get hurt. We have to send a message that we can't do that -- whether it's to a player on our team or another team."
We talked to Nashville's Shea Weber after the Preds' morning skate. He is obviously remorseful about the fact that Andreas Lilja hasn't been able to play since Weber beat him up last Feb. 28. Here's what he said:
"Obviously, I feel bad. It's a situation that just kind of happened on the ice, but you don't ever want anything bad like that to happen. Tempers flare and fights happen, but you definitely don't like to see that.
"I just wish him all the best. I hope he can recover and come back and be the player he was before."
I found his remorse to be genuine. The guys is strong and he's tough, but he's not in any way a goon. The Lilja fight was only the ninth of his career, and he's only fought twice since (both last March). Despite averaging almost 24 minutes a game, he only has two minor penalties this season.
Predators coach Barry Trotz was funny Monday. He was asked about the Wings' rash of injuries: "I don't feel sorry for them. I've gone through this for seven-eight years. Trust me, I don't feel sorry for them at all. They are still good."
