Suspended for how long??

Couple things I need to get put down regarding the NHL this year and the high number of suspensions that have been handed down by the league.  I don't have a problem per say with the suspensions themselves but more with the seemingly arbitrary length of the suspension.  It's difficult to tell what infraction gets what suspension and the more that are handed out, the less sense they're making.  Today marked another absolute mindfuck when it comes out to being able to guess what someone will get, the problem here is it's sending a confusing message to fans and players.  There is no "don't do this, you'll get 5 games for it" because what one guy gets 5 games for another gets 1 for.

Personally the most polarizing occurrences happened during the Boston Bruins/Pittsburgh Penguins game... I dunno think it was November sometime.  The Shawn Thornton (ST) Brooks Orpik head punch and the James Neal (JN) Brad Marchand head knee.  ST got 15 games for his takedown and knockout of Orpik.  Now I'm not arguing he shouldn't have got suspended.  It was after the play,  it was born out of Orpik's (dirty) hit on Ericksson (let's face it, 8 months ago in the playoffs that was a 5, game, and a 2 game suspension.  The only difference was Eller busted his face open and Ericksson just didn't get on skates for a month.  Blown call and Orpik knows it), it was a bad idea.  Now JN's was a crime of opportunity, a knee in the head of known pest Marchand while he was down on hands and knees for which he got 5 games for.

Here's my issue with this.  ST has never been suspended and while a known tough guy he plays a regular shift and usually ends up in the 20 point range.  He even plays a regular shift in the playoffs where he rarely fights.  He's also never even been considered for a suspension, all in all a clean, tough, player.  He gets 15 games mostly based on the look of what happened.

JN gets 5 games.  JN has been suspended twice previously on incredibly intentionally dirty plays.  These are accidental head hits or hits from behind, these are going out to try and hurt someone suspensions.  Ok, number 1: the message apparently isn't getting through.  Number  2: part of the reasoning behind ST's 15 games was that it "was a non-hockey play" hear that guys?  Kneeing in the head is considered a "hockey play".  Number 3:  you can't even knee someone in the head when they're on their hands and knees in the UFC. How can what would get you disqualified and fined in an organization called "ultimate fighting championship" only get you 5 games in the NHL.  Especially on your 3rd suspension!

Bottom line, the NHL is suspending based on what is seen on TV not by what is done on the ice and it's wrong.  Just because someone appears to be more seriously injured than another player does not make the infraction any less violent or wrong.  You want to clean up the game and get rid of the dirty plays?  Suspend guys for the crime not for the harm.  Joffery Lupul fully intentionally cross checked a guy in the head and got fined $10K for his 2nd infraction.  If the guy he hit missed time with a concussion I can't help but think he'd have got games, that's wrong.  Oh and regarding ST and JN, were it that they were both first offences... if ST is 15 games JN has to be 10 at least.  Furthermore if you've already got a suspension, your second offence is and automatic 5 game minimum and your third is an auto 10 minimum.  It's one thing to try and get rid of the dirty hits but there's no reason any player should be getting suspended repeatedly.