NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly implied the league had recent NFL domestic incidents "on its mind" when it suspended Kings D Slava Voynov for his domestic assault arrest yesterday morning, according to Ken Campbell of THE HOCKEY NEWS. However, Daly yesterday said that it was "not the only factor involved in the decision." Avalanche G Semyon Varlamov "was also arrested on domestic assault charges a year ago and was not suspended by either the league or the Avalanche." It would be "naive to think the NFL's bungling" of the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson situations "was not a factor" in Voynov's suspension. But Daly said that it "wasn't the only one." Daly in an e-mail wrote, “I think the landscape has changed for all of us over the past six months. But that’s not the only reason for the difference in treatment. Circumstances were different in Varlamov. I can’t get more specific than that.” Campbell noted the NHL yesterday announced that it had "suspended Voynov indefinitely, with pay, pending a formal investigation by the league into the arrest." The suspension "effectively means that Voynov cannot participate in any team activities, including practice" (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 10/20). In L.A., Lisa Dillman notes Voynov, who is in his fourth season with the Kings, "will be paid during the investigation and his salary will continue to count against the salary cap, limiting moves the Kings can make because they are close to the cap's ceiling" (L.A. TIMES, 10/21). ESPN.com's Scott Burnside wrote, "While the league didn’t need the players’ association’s approval to suspend Voynov, we are told it did reach out to the union to say that this was the league’s plan moving forward once word began to spread of Voynov’s arrest in the early-morning hours Monday" (ESPN.com, 10/20).
TAKING SWIFT ACTION: In Toronto, Mike Zeisberger notes behind closed doors, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is "said to have recently delivered a stern message" to the NHL’s BOG "stressing a zero-tolerance policy relating to domestic violence." If first impressions "are any indication, the league, at least on the surface, is walking the walk after talking the talk." When news of the Voynov arrest "became public, it was broken via an announcement by the NHL itself." Zeisberger: "When it came time for the NHL to act, it did. Quickly. Swiftly" (TORONTO SUN, 10/21). YAHOO SPORTS' Nicholas Cotsonika noted the NHL issued a statement, but it "not only announced the suspension, it broke the news of the arrest." Cotsonika: "That’s how you send the message that domestic violence is unacceptable. That’s how you get in front of a story and come off as proactive, not reactive" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/20). The GLOBE & MAIL's Eric Duhatschek writes the NHL's response was "uncharacteristically swift." It was a "marked contrast to the wait-and-see approach the NHL took" with the Varlamov arrest last year (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/21). YAHOO SPORTS' Greg Wyshynski wrote Voynov "could end up like Varlamov, and have these charges eventually dropped." The NHL could "look draconian and hair-trigger in its response, in hindsight." But in '14, in professional sports, on a "domestic violence arrest … this is the only way to respond" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/20).
MAKING THE RIGHT CALL: USA TODAY's Kevin Allen writes Voynov's suspension "suggests that the sports community has learned from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's mistakes in the handling" of the Rice case. Although Voynov "is innocent until proven guilty, the Rice case demonstrated that society expects sports leagues to take a firm stance in domestic violence cases." The NHL has "no specific domestic abuse suspension policy." But the league is "sending its own message that any suggestion of domestic abuse will be dealt with swiftly" (USA TODAY, 10/21). In L.A., Helene Elliott writes under the header, "Suspension Of Kings' Slava Voynov Shows NHL Has Priorities In Order" (L.A. TIMES, 10/21). SI.com's Allan Muir wrote, "Maybe the league has entered a new era of enlightenment at the main office. Or maybe it's just smart enough to read the tea leaves and avoid the inevitable backlash that would have occurred if it had done anything less than suspend Voynov indefinitely." Either way, it was "the right approach" (SI.com, 10/20). In Toronto, Bruce Arthur writes the NHL "clearly made the correct call here." The "presumption of innocence doesn’t mean nothing should change." It is "public relations, of course." Pro sports "cares about issues insofar as they affect the bottom line, which makes them not unlike most major businesses" (TORONTO STAR, 10/21). In N.Y., Klein & Witz write the suspension is a "reflection of the changing climate surrounding domestic violence" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/21).
