Green, Boudreau react to suspension

When Mike Green limped off the ice after a light skate this morning, he did not look like he could play 24 hours from now.

As it turns out, the NHL took the decision out of his hands.

Green was suspended this morning for three games without pay for his elbow to the head of Michael Frolik on Friday night. The NHL's leading scorer among defenseman will forfeit $81,606.21.

Green referred all questions about the league's decision to Coach Bruce Boudreau. But the defenseman said he didn't think he deserved a penalty.

"No, I didn't at all," Green said. "I've thrown that body check where you kind of come across - I didn't come across too aggressive. I'll let Bruce talk about the rest."

Green got a two minute minor penalty for the infraction; Frolik was shaken up but finished the game.

Boudreau, who was involved in the telephone hearing, did not agree with Mike Murphy's decision. (Murphy made the ruling because Colin Campbell's son, Gregory, plays for the Panthers.)

"I don't know how to react anymore," he said. "Obviously I'm very upset about it. But what can you do? It's like fighting a ticket [when] you know you're not doing something wrong, from the police. You can't argue with them. I better not say nothing. I'm just livid about whole thing anyway."

Asked again, Boudreau shot back: "I'm using 'livid' right now, and I'm not going any further with it. Don't try to put something in my mouth where I end up saying something stupid. So let's talk about something else, okay."

When Boudreau was told that Green referred all questions to him, the coach chuckled and said: "Is he going to lend me the money?" Boudreau was referring to the possibility of being fined for being critical of the league.

Forward Brooks Laich, the team's NHLPA rep, had a different take.

"Obviously we don't want to lose Greenie," he said. "I don't know if he was going play anyway after that knee on knee collision. But at some point you have to take control of the game and protect the players. You see what happened in junior hockey [the Patrice Cormier incident]. At some point you have to make a statement where there's not a gray area. You can't hit to the head. It's black or white. You hit to the head you're going to get suspended."

Veteran Mike Knuble added: "I didn't see the replay. I was on the ice. But out of the corner of my eye it looked like an elbow. The guy wasn't hurt, right? He finished the game. He got him in the head. [The league] is trying to send a message, especially in the wake of that Quebec league thing. It's protecting the players. I'm sorry it happened to Mike. But guys know, an elbow to someone's head is going to cost you one way or another."

With Green out, Boudreau said he'll turn to seldom-used D-man Tyler Sloan for tomorrow's game against the Lightning.

"We'll go with Tyler tomorrow and then make a decision after the game on what we're doing," Boudreau said.

As for Green, he might not have been able to play for a few days anyway. He skated lightly on his own, but the knee contusion he suffered late in the second period limited him significantly.

"Just get better here," he said. "Lot of bumps and bruises anyway. Just take care of my body here and make sure I'm ready for when I come back."