"Brendan Shananan knew it wouldn't be easy when he took the position as the NHL's dean of discipline this season. It's actually called the 'Department of Player Safety,' but despite a stated priority of taking illegal hits out of the game, the fans, media and even teams themselves tend to focus on the consistency of the discipline.

Prior to the All-Star break, Shanahan issued 34 suspensions for a total of 113 games, two including Blues' players. Forward Chris Stewart and defenseman Ian Cole were each suspended three games for hits that were deemed excessive by Shanahan, aka Sheriff Shanny, and his crew.

"I don't feel we're in the business of punishing ... I'm hoping that we're in the business of changing behavior, with in the back of our mind, we want hitting in the game," Shanahan said to a pool of reporters, including the Post-Dispatch, last week at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. "That's the delicate balance ... is it a 2 or 3 (game suspension)? Is it a 4 or 5? We battle with that.""