Sportsnet reporter calls on Blackhawks to send “Stronger” message to repeat offender Carcillo.

A Sportsnet reporter made a pretty bold statement and it's been more than a little polarizing. For those of you who missed it, Damien Cox made this statement on twitter:

"I would love to see the Hawks do the right thing and release Carcillo after his suspension ends. Wud send stronger message than NHL's."

There's a couple of things worth noting here, the first and most obvious being that it's extremely unlikely the Blackhawks will do anything that would keep one of their roster players out for longer then he already is. While you may not like Dan Carcillo there's no question that his presence on the ice keeps opposing players honest when it comes to the way they handle themselves around the Blackhawks' stars, something Chicago is not likely willing to give up when they've got guys like Toews and Kane to protect. Cox's argument stems from the fact that Carcillo has been disciplined either with a fine or a suspension 12 times now, and the NHL has made the claim that they will continue to increase punishments for repeat offenders. It's not hard to see why Cox would be frustrated considering Carcillo's history. But again it's important to keep things in perspective, the NHL has allowed players who have literally ended careers to continue playing after disciplinary action (Anyone remember Todd Bertuzzi?) why should the Blackhawks come down so severely on Carcillo who has a role to fulfill on the team? Where do you guys stand on the issue? Should teams hold their players to a higher standard the NHL as Cox's suggest? Or is he living in a fantasy world?

I would love to see the Hawks do the right thing and release Carcillo after his suspension ends. Wud send stronger message than NHL's. — Damien Cox (@DamoSpin) January 20, 2015

Image courtesy Associated Press.