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Campbell said this week that his staff didn't think a suspension was warranted in either case, but he felt it necessary to suspend Orpik because of the severity of Cole's injury.

In the case of the Voros hit, he said he more seriously considered discipline for Cole or Walker, both of whom were on the ice during the fight that followed despite switching places during a line change. Leaving the bench during an altercation is a mandatory 10-game suspension.

Going forward

The reins of supplementary justice in the NHL have always been held by the commissioner or his designee, but the NHL Players' Association might like to change that. In a December interview, new NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly said the union should have a voice in the process.

"We're going to be particularly looking at consistency across the board," Kelly said. "We're concerned about inconsistent results imposed on players because they're star players or otherwise."

Daly said no discussions about changing the system have taken place with the union or within the league. And even Adams acknowledges that as unsatisfied as he was with the process in his case, he can't suggest an alternative.

"Maybe the way they do it is the best way and you just have to live with it," Adams said. "In Coley's defense, I don't think it's an easy job by any means. When you're on the wrong end of it, it's frustrating. Just a like lot of fans think they can do the general manager's or coach's job better, there are a lot of players who disagree."

Staal, meanwhile, needed stitches after last Thursday's game but not because of the Voros hit (he was hit in the eyebrow with the puck). Still, he was left wondering, what if he had been injured?

"I was fortunate I wasn't hurt -- fortunate I didn't end up with 20 stitches or something serious to happen," Staal said. "Regardless, it's still a dirty play. But they make their rulings and they see things differently, and that's the way it goes."

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