Just had a long conversation with NHL discipline czar Colie Campbell. He and I had email problems yesterday, so his response to Simon’s complaints never got in the Star Tribune.

Simon’s complaint: He got 30 games for stepping on Jarkko Ruutu, while Chris Pronger got eight games for stepping on Ryan Kesler.

Campbell said the severity of his suspension had to do with the fact that Simon had just served a 25-game suspension for slashing Ryan Hollweg in the face.

“It was the relative time between both acts and not learning,” Campbell said. “My biggest fear with Chris is him hurting another player by not being able to control himself. These were back-to-back.”

Campbell said that in the back of his mind was Simon cross-checking Ruslan Fedotenko two years earlier in response to what he said was a slash.

“I said, ‘why would you react this way? This is not a mean, vicious player,’ and he said he slashed me in the thumb.’ Well, watch the play. This was the Todd Bertuzzi play without the injury. I only suspended [Simon] two games because there was no injury, but it stuck in my mind. It was a vicious attack and I probably should have given him more games.”

Campbell said he was also upset because he let Simon play in the preseason during his 25-game suspension for slashing Hollweg, and Simon reacted by running Hollweg from behind, then cross-checking him up high in an exhibition game. He didn’t suspend Simon for that incident. (Remember, this was a big issue here in the Twin Cities because Simon was allowed to play during his suspension, and Sean Hill wasn’t during his).

“[Simon’s] big defense always is that he doesn’t hurt anybody,” Campbell said. “Well, he’s been pretty lucky for that, especially [the first] Hollweg thing.”

As for what he sees is the difference between the two stomps, Campbell said the Simon vs. Ruutu one, “there was no hockey play involved. He went to the bench and said, ‘Oh, what the heck.’ And he just got finished with the 25-game suspension, so it was like, ‘Chris, did you not learn?’ He’s always apologetic as hell, but this is about protecting players he’s playing against now. You just don’t know what he’s going to do. The unpredictability is what got him the 30 games. Does he not care? Does he not think? Can he not control himself?”

So why was Pronger’s so much less when he’s also been suspended eight times and has injured loads of players? “They’re all hockey plays. It’s plays where he plays too tough, plays too hard, gets carried away. The guy had him in a leg lock. Those are factors and I didn’t do this in a vacuum. I consulted a lot of people. Plus, he loses $600,000 in salary.”

In other news:

– NHL Live, a two-hour radio show on XM Home Ice 204, will be simulcast every day on NHL Network at 11 a.m.

– Also, the Denver Post reports that the Avalanche will have to start the playoffs on the road if it wins the division. Here’s the story. Why should you care? As I wrote a month ago, 3 vs. 6 in the West will most likely be two Northwest Division teams, so if the Wild finishes sixth and Colorado third, the series would start here.

– Looks like Kyle Okposo will make his NHL debut Tuesday for the Isles.

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