Mattias Öhlund is getting a few days off to himself...

It Is Not Just Headshots That the NHL Is Worried About…

Vancouver Canucks defenceman Mattias Öhlund has been suspended for four games, without pay, as a result of a slashing incident that occurred during a game against the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 16.

According to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and based on his average annual salary, Öhlund will forfeit $74,866.32. The money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

The incident occurred in the third period when Öhlund slashed Minnesota player Mikko Koivu across the legs in front of the players’ bench. He was assessed a slashing major and given a game misconduct. Koivu suffered a broken bone in his left leg on the incident.

Öhlund will miss games against Calgary, Edmonton, Minnesota, and St. Louis. He will be eligible to return Nov. 25 at home against Chicago. Öhlund said Koivu elbowed him in the face, and he retaliated, but now regrets it.

"The elbow to the face, I don't think it was a very good play from his part, but looking back I wish I would have done something different than I did," said Öhlund.

It is bad news for a Vancouver team already missing blueliners Kevin Bieksa and Sami Salo. Bieksa will miss another four to six weeks with a lacerated right calf while Salo is out with a broken nose.

Like Öhlund, Vancouver GM Dave Nonis said he respects the league's decision. Nonis declined to discuss what occurred in the hearing process, which was conducted by phone. "It was the league's decision," said Nonis. "We're obviously going to live by it and respect the job that they have to do."

Defenceman Lukáš Krajíček returned to the Vancouver lineup to replace Öhlund on Sunday against the Flames after being out since November 1 with an ankle injury.

The overall respect for players seems to have dwindled in the past few years in the NHL. The NHL has reviewed icing rules as well as equipment size in order to protect its players – meanwhile the players are doing more harm to each other.

Perhaps the NHL places too much emphasis on headshots, instead of on discussing any type of hit in which there is the possibility of serious injury. Maybe this incident will serve as a warning to other players in the future.

Brett Hull as a GM?

Brett Hull as general manager? Sounds crazy, but Dallas owner Tom Hicks has spoken, and the decision is to have Brett Hull controlling the Stars, along with Doug Armstrong's former assistant Les Jackson. As Co-GMs, this odd pair has the complicated task of bringing the Stars out of the basement.

With Hull's opinions – and eagerness to speak them — GM discussions about rules and league processes will be nothing short of interesting. As fans, we would all love to merely observe negotiations or a meeting hosted by Hull himself. Is it possible that he can be humorous, personable and professional all at the same time?

We all have to wonder: how did Hull snag a GM job?

He has no experience, and he has never given any indication that he wants to be in upper management. In fact, I would never even have envisioned him as a coach, let alone a general manager in charge of very important decisions.

In my opinion, this was done to shake up a somewhat stale organization. This may help to inject some life into the team and to add character as well.

I do not know why so many fans are upset and shocked at this decision. I think we can all expect that Brett Hull will do an equal or better job than Garth Snow (general manager of the New York Islanders). We can all make early assumptions, but only time will tell how well he does and the standings will show successes or failures.

Player Profile: Evgeni Nabokov

A ninth round selection of the San Jose Sharks in the 1994 draft (219th overall), the Kazakh native was the NHL’s second star for last week.

In January 2000, Nabokov started in his first NHL game, playing against the Colorado Avalanche and Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy. Nabokov managed to stop all 39 shots he faced in a 0-0 tie. In his first four games, Nabokov stopped all but one of his first 104 shots.

Evgeni went on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s best rookie in 2001. He played in the 2001 All-star game and took San Jose to the playoffs that season. One of his claims to fame is that he is the only goaltender to score a power play goal, doing so against the Vancouver Canucks in March 2002. He was also the first European goaltender to score a goal.

Nabokov made 25 saves as San Jose blanked the Phoenix Coyotes 5-0 November 12, recorded 26 stops in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Dallas Stars November 14, posted his third shutout of the season in a 6-0 victory over Phoenix November 15 and turned aside 28 of 29 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks November 17.

Nabokov has appeared in all 21 games this season, posting an 11-7-3 record with a 2.02 goals-against average, .915 save percentage and three shutouts.