Following the Carolina Hurricanes handing the New York Rangers their fourth loss in five games, the NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Matt Rempe for eight games. It was fully expected.

Rempe received a five-minute major and game misconduct for elbowing Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen from behind at 7:09 of the third period on Friday, Dec. 20. It was his fourth ejection in 22 career games.

Considered a repeat offender due to having previously served a four-game suspension for elbowing Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler on Mar. 11 last season, Rempe got what he deserved. He’ll forfeit $80,000. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Related: Reckless Play By Rempe Tarnishes Positives In Return

It’s unfortunate that Rempe can’t keep himself out of trouble with the NHL’s wheel of justice. But it’s his own fault. He has to be more responsible by avoiding illegally hitting defenseless players. Right now, he’s his own worst enemy.

Even after having a positive impact for two periods against the Stars, he ruined that performance due to the dirty hit from behind on Heiskanen. The league ruled that Rempe received the eight-game suspension due to both elbowing and boarding Heiskanen. That’s the correct ruling.

By handing out eight games, that makes Rempe ineligible to return for the rematch against the Stars when they visit Madison Square Garden on Jan. 7 in the new calendar year. If the Rangers decide to keep him up, he won’t be eligible to play until the Devils visit MSG on Jan. 9. Ironically, they’re the team he has the most history with. They will avoid seeing him for tomorrow’s afternoon matchup in Newark.

There really isn’t anything else to add. I highlighted Rempe’s history in the previous post. It is up to him to make the necessary changes. He can’t become an NHL regular unless he adjusts. I’m not advocating for him to change his style. Hockey is a full contact sport. As long as it’s legal, hitting is allowed. He must stay within the boundaries.

As expected, Jimmy Vesey replaced him in the lineup. He scored the only goal 17 seconds into the game on Sunday, Dec. 22. Vesey would later be denied by Hurricanes goalie Pyotr Kochetkov with the Rangers trailing 2-1. Sebastian Aho added an empty netter with 1:42 remaining for the final margin.

Hypocrisy of Player Safety Shows

While they got it right with Rempe, once again, NHL Player Safety showed their hypocrisy. On Friday, Dec. 20, Panthers forward Sam Bennett came from the other side of the ice and leveled Blues forward Jake Neighbours from behind into the boards. There was no call on the play.

Of course, Bennett got off Scot free. He is a good player. While there’s no debating what he brings to the table for the defending champs, he seems to escape league discipline. Last spring, Bennett caught Brad Marchand with a questionable hit that injured the Bruins captain in Game 3 of the second round on May 10. He missed the next two games.

On the play, Bennett swung his right hand directly towards Marchand’s head making full contact. No penalty was called. Of course, Bennett wasn’t disciplined by NHL Player Safety.

That’s two instances when Bennett got away with clear penalties that deserved to be reviewed by the league. He should have been suspended for each. Instead, the league turned the other cheek.

It doesn’t seem to matter who’s in charge. That is a big problem. I have no issue with them making Rempe accountable for his actions. Those are exactly the kind of hits that need to be eliminated from the game. However, there’s a clear double standard. If they truly cared about protecting the safety of players, then everyone should be held to the same standard.

Until that changes, it’s hard to take the league seriously.