Islanders forward Chris Simon has been suspended for the remainder of the 2006-07 regular season and the entirety of the Stanley Cup playoffs in response to an incident during Thursday night’s game against the Rangers in which he hit Rangers’ Ryan Hollweg with a stick swing to the face.

Simon is suspended for a minimum of 25 games, including the final 15 of the 2006-07 regular season. If the Islanders do not qualify for the playoffs — or if they play fewer than 10 playoff games — Simon will serve additional games at the start of next season to satisfy the minimum term of the suspension.

“The National Hockey League will not accept the use of a stick in the manner and fashion in which Mr. Simon used his Thursday night,” the NHL’s senior executive vice president and director of hockey operations, Colin Campbell, explained. “As a consequence of his actions, Mr. Simon has forfeited the privilege of playing in an NHL game again this season, regardless of how many games the Islanders ultimately play.”

The incident was an ugly one that deserved severe punishment. And Simon acknowledged as much in a statement released by the Islanders.

“After watching the tape the morning after Thursday’s game, I was disgusted. There is absolutely no place in hockey for what I did,” Simon said. “I want to apologize to Ryan Hollweg. … I want to apologize to my team and Islanders fans everywhere. My actions Thursday night played a major part in our team losing a crucial game. I also want to apologize to the National Hockey League for the damage I have caused this great game of ours.”

In looking back at the incident, it is certainly worthwhile to evaluate the check that preceded it, for it goes a long way toward explaining (though not justifying) what took place.

Simon was skating toward the boards, slowing down and getting ready for the puck to arrive. His body was turned at approximately a 45-degree angle to the boards when Hollweg came up from behind and hit him square on the left shoulder. The hit straightened Simon out, and he crashed face-first into the boards.

Some have argued that Hollweg’s hit was perfectly clean because it was delivered to Simon’s side rather than his back. But by the definition provided in the NHL’s rulebook, Hollweg’s hit should have earned him a boarding penalty.

The rule book clearly states: “A major or minor penalty … shall be imposed on any player who checks an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently into the boards.”

Several hockey pundits have suggested that Simon should be subjected to criminal charges, but it’s clear that a plea of “temporary insanity” would (and should) be the plaintiff’s defense.

“I do not remember much about Thursday’s incident,” he said. “When I saw the tape on Friday morning, it explained a lot to me when I saw the look on my face after being hit into the boards. I was completely out of it. I met with our medical staff. … They have told me that I suffered a concussion when I hit the boards.”

To Simon’s credit, he took full responsibility for his actions, even given this context. “I need to make clear that this is not justification for the danger I put Ryan Hollweg in and the damage I have caused the game,” he said. “I understand disciplinary action will be taken. … What hurts the most is knowing my actions will result in me losing the privilege of being in the Islanders lineup.”

The crackdown on obstruction and interference has certainly sped up play, but as a result, it’s increased the speed of impact in each collision and it’s made the game even harder for the officials to follow. Even with the presence of four officials on the ice, numerous infractions go unpunished. And there has also been tremendous inconsistency with regard to the punishments levied after the facts.

When Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre crashed the Senators’ Ray Emery’s goal crease back on February 10, Emery responded by smacking Lapierre in the face with his goalie stick. The action earned Emery a three-game suspension; though his action probably carried a similar level of risk to Simon’s, Lapierre’s visor provided all the protection he needed.

Just under two weeks later, Emery’s Senators took on the Buffalo Sabres. Sens enforcer Chris Neil delivered a blindside hit to Sabres forward Chris Drury’s head, knocking the Buffalo star out of action for nearly two weeks. Neil was not penalized, nor suspended, for the hit.

Last weekend, Devils forward Cam Janssen delivered a hard hit to Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle’s head more than two seconds after the Leafs’ rearguard had released a pass. Kaberle crashed headfirst into the boards and suffered a concussion, an injury from which he still hasn’t recovered. The hit also went un-penalized, though Janssen was later given a three-game suspension as well.

Would Simon have retaliated had he gotten up and seen that the official had whistled Hollweg for a boarding major? We’ll never know the answer to that question. But we do know that the officials cannot be expected to see every on-ice infraction, certainly not in real time.

Without a doubt, those who argue in favor of allowing the players to police themselves suffered a huge blow with this incident. The argument goes that the presence of enforcers makes the game safer for skill players and that they provide a meaningful, effective deterrent against cheap shots and other unwanted violence. But Simon, a respected enforcer who would be one of those players responsible for policing, instead demonstrated that in the heat of the moment, he couldn’t be trusted to act rationally.

In reality, the only feasible solution is to mete out severe penalties for actions like Simon’s, with the hope that they will provide the deterrent that is so clearly needed to prevent over-the-top violence. And in this case, by ending Simon’s season, the NHL has done just that. It is unfortunate that the league wasn’t similarly heavyhanded with Emery and Janssen.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.