FanHouse Blair Betts

The last time Donald Brashear was involved in a Rangers vs. Capitals game, he was suiting up for Washington and facing the wrath of fans in New York for knocking out Blair Betts in a playoff game.

On Thursday night, Brashear was on the other side of the matchup and trying to win some fans in Madison Square Garden (after he was booed during his formal introduction a couple of weeks ago) by throwing down with 6-foot-4, 225-pound Capitals forward Brandon Sugden ... twice.

Video after the jump.

Depending on who you ask, Donald Brashear's introduction to Rangers fans was either a success after a rocky beginning, or simply the beginning of what will be a rocky relationship. At a season ticket holders meet-and-greet on Wednesday night, an event that featured Brashear, Chris Higgins, Chris Drury, Ales Kotalik and Marian Gaborik, the Rangers' new enforcer was greeted with a smattering of boos according to Michael Obernauer of the Daily News, which prompted him to -- jokingly -- challenge anyone in the crowd who was booing him.

The reaction from the fans isn't really surprising given the run-in Brashear, then playing for the Capitals, had with former Rangers forward Blair Betts during the Stanley Cup playoffs in a series that saw Washington overcome a 3-1 deficit.

You would probably think that Chris Kunitz would face some sort of punishment from the NHL for what appears to be, in the slow-motion video above, a deliberate cross-check to the face of Simeon Varlamov. But that would be giving the wacky NHL too much credit.

The NHL has decided not to suspend Ducks forward Mike Brown for his first-period hit on Detroit's Jiri Hudler in Game 1, which undoubtedly will upset the Red Wings and will lead to declarations that the league isn't being consistent in its discipline. After all, the argument goes, the league leveled a six-game suspension on Washington's Donald Brashear for a hit on Blair Betts of the Rangers in the first round.

Perhaps the NHL overreacted somewhat in that instance, but in this case, the decision seems warranted. After repeated viewings of Brown's hit on Hudler, I was not convinced it warranted a suspension, particularly a lengthy one.

There has been a lot of talk about hits to the head in the NHL playoffs so far. Washington's Donald Brashear got a controversial six-game suspension for his shot high on Ranger Blair Betts during Game 6 of their series.

Friday night, Anaheim and Detroit met to open their Western Conference semifinal series. During the first period, the intensity got cranked up big-time on a late and high hit by Anaheim's Mike Brown on Red Wing forward Jiri Hudler in Detroit's 3-2 win.

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After a fake news report, a six-game suspension, an allegation of biting, and a coach being banished to a suite for turning a water bottle into a projectile against opposing fans, it is hard to imagine there being anything more unexpected in a mere first-round hockey playoff series. But there is something more unanticipated in this set of great interest now between the Rangers and Capitals. It is that the series wound up where it is scheduled to be Tuesday night -- at a deciding Game 7.

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Following a 1:00 PM hearing with the NHL Monday, Washington Capitals winger Donald Brashear, one of the most feared players in the NHL, has been suspended for six games by the NHL for actions he took before yesterday's playoff game with the New York Rangers.

Brashear was disciplined for two separate and distinct incidents.

After watching his team drop the first two games of their opening round playoff series with the Rangers, Bruce Boudreau decided he needed to make a change. Out of the lineup came play-making center Michael Nylander, and in his place fell perennial enforcer Donald Brashear.

After those two games, it was clear that the Rangers had gained something of a physical edge over the surprised Capitals. And on Sunday in New York, Brashear showed exactly why Boudreau gave him another shot at postseason hockey, first picking a fight with Rangers enforcer Colton Orr during pre-game warmups and then crushing penalty-killer Blair Betts with a borderline hit that sent him to the locker room in the first period, never to return. Later reports today say that Betts suffered a broken orbital bone and is done for the rest of the playoffs.

Brashear will have to answer for both of those actions later today, when the league holds a hearing at 1:00 PM.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Ryan O'Byrne has yet to score a goal this season, and thus far, only has one in his brief NHL career. Unfortunately for Montreal, the 24-year old rearguard scored on his own net with just under five-minutes to play in regulation on Monday night, sending the game to overtime. The own-goal proved to be costly for Montreal, as the Islanders took the game in a shootout, 4-3, picking up the extra point and winning for the fifth time in their past six games.

The O'Byrne gaffe happened on a delayed penalty call, which led to Canadiens goalie Carey Price heading to the bench for the extra-attacker. O'Byrne, unfortunately, sent the puck backwards toward the yawning net -- as seen in the above video -- tying the game at three, much to the chagrin of the Bell Centre crowd.

Seriously, that's just painful to watch. O'Byrne instantly covered his face and looked like he wanted to dig a hole in the ice and crawl out of the arena. What do you even say after that?

Islanders forward Bill Guerin was credited for what will surely be the easiest goal of his career.

Richard Park and Trent Hunter scored the other goals for the Islanders, while Steve Begin, John Gorges and Maxim Lapierre scored for Montreal.