EDMONTON - If I'm Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke, I'm over at teammate Chris Kunitz's stall asking, "Why was my elbow on Ryan McDonagh worth 10 games and the first round of the playoffs, and your elbow, which looked as bad as mine, on Simon Gagne, got you one game off? It's different rules for different people."

What is going on with the NHL home office? They care, but they don't care enough. And the players can't protect themselves from themselves.

Kunitz's flying elbow at the head of the Lightning's Gagne's in Game 3 of the Pitsburgh-Tampa Bay series wasn't any different than Cooke's hit. Both were lack-of-respect plays.

"I had my arm in a bad spot and he kind of spun. But not very responsible on my part," said Kunitz.

Gagne has a history of concussions and wasn't amused.

"It's not like he tried to hit me with his shoulder," Gagne said.

Kunitz deserved the rest of Round 1 off. It was a brain cramp by an offensive guy.

While we're at it, Steve Downie jumps at Dean McAmmond a few years back, launches himself at McAmmond's head and gets 20 games. Now, the Tampa Bay forward leaves his feet and drills the Penguins' Ben Lovejoy in the head behind the net on Monday, and he gets one game off, too. He deserved the same, "if your team makes it to Round 2, you can suit up" punishment as Kunitz should have received.

And no suspension for Raffi Torres? The Vancouver Canucks winger left Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook concussed, even if he continued to play Game 3. But Seabrook but was out of Game 4 in the Vancouver-Chicago series.

Behind the net is the NHL's hitting zone? If you go in there, do it at your own risk, like walking outside a casino flashing a wad of bills or hiking down a dark alley. As Team 1260 radio show host Jason Gregor says, "Maybe it should be sponsored ... like from Cougar Paint and Collision."

It boggles the mind. But until the NHL makes a blanket hits-to-thehead are verboten rule, the officials are going to continually look soft on crime.

Jets to fly again?

All signs point to the Phoenix Coyotes moving to Winnipeg. Unless would-be Coyotes owner Michael Hulsizer had a family emergency, he's given up on trying to keep the team in the desert, too. He apparently wasn't at Monday's CoyotesDetroit Red Wings' playoff game in Phoenix. He lives in Chicago and also didn't make it to Detroit for Games 1 or 2, either.

If you wanted to own the team, wouldn't you want to watch them live in the playoffs? They're supposed to be your baby, right?

One thing the league will miss if Phoenix moves? The building. It's one of the five best in the league. If the Coyotes hike back to Winnipeg, what will Glendale use it for? Arena football? A practice field for the nearby NFL Arizona Cardinals?

Bryzgalov a net liability

Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov could easily have expected a five-year, $25-million deal coming his way July 1 as the best of the free-agent puckstoppers, but under the harsh playoff glare where he's been unmasked by the Red Wings, now what?

He is the best of a free-agent goalie bunch that includes Tomas Vokoun, Jose Theodore and Dwayne Rolo-son. But is he worth more than $4 million a year if, sadly, he can't win in the playoffs, which is what it's all about?

Chicago overspent and got burned on free agent Cristobal Huet, who took advantage of his situation a couple of years ago.

Does a team need a high-priced goalie to win anymore? The Minnesota Wild are spending $6 million on a very good goalie in Niklas Backstrom and can't make the playoffs.

Bryzgalov, a quirky Russian who has been fighting the puck, has the worst numbers of any starter in the post-season. Here's the line: 12 goals against in 101 shots, .881 save percentage. He has given up 18 goals in his last four playoff games against the Red Wings, going back to Game 7 last spring.

Phoenix was supposed to have an advantage in net in this series, after Bryzgalov posted a .921 save percentage and seven shutouts during the regular season. Now? Some awfully easy shots are turning into adventures in front of his net.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Howard has a .923 save percentage, stopping 70 of 76 shots in the playoffs.

The last word is from Phoenix coach Dave Tippett: "We need our goaltender to have an all-world game (Game 4)."

TV deal increases exposure

Edmonton Oilers president Patrick LaForge is tickled with the NHL's deal with NBC/Comcast of $2 billion for 10 years, even though it's a drop in the bucket compared to the NFL, which might get that much in a single season from TV contracts.

The NHL's deal with NBC/Comcast (Comcast is owned by Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider), will be divvied up 30 ways, with administrative costs (head office, staging the Winter Classic, marketing, etc.) coming out of that.

Each team may get $5 million a season after the money goes into an NHL revenue stream.

"This is good stuff. Take the NFL out of it. If you run us up against the NBA, I don't think we're that far away. It's a step forward. You can't go from zero to 60 without taking steps. Everybody was hoping this new contract would have cash in it. This is a good first step," said LaForge.

The NHL wasn't getting any hard dollars from NBC before, and the NHL wanted the exposure.

"It's good for growing the fans in the United States. We've been working to improve our TV exposure."

Hiller still feeling dizzy

Goalie Jonas Hiller can't even practise with the Anaheim Ducks because he can't get rid of his vertigo.

Ray Emery is holding the fort, but even if he's made a wonderful recovery from major hip surgery, he's no Hiller. Hiller is one of the NHL's top-10 goalies and all bets are off on how far they can go, if they don't see Hiller again this spring.

I wonder if Oilers president Kevin Lowe, who had to quit in the 1997-98 season because of his equilibrium problems, has given Hiller a call or sent a text?

"I had a loss of balance when I moved my head quickly. Too much and I would get nauseous," said Lowe.

In Hiller's case, he says he's a step slow watching the puck. That's never a good thing for a goalie.

Homer call in Beantown

Boston Bruins' TV guy Jack Edwards has the requisite excitable quotient and knows who's on the ice. He also has good pipes.

But if you listened to his call on Game 3 of the Bruins-Montreal Canadiens' series, you got a good chuckle. He's all Bruins, all the way.

Canadiens defenceman Roman Hamrlik went down along the boards and he screams, "Hamrlik goes down as if shot. Get up! Montreal is trying to nurse ridiculous calls out of the referee." He thought Hamrlik was milking the hit.

Edwards wasn't a fan of Benoit Pouliot's long run at Johnny Boychuk into the end boards, either. It was a cheap shot by Pouliot, but Edwards went several yards too far when he said: "And people wonder why Montreal is a source of derision around the NHL."

They are?

Carlson's Calder case

The voters got it right in the Calder Trophy final three -Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes, Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks and Michael Grabner of the New York Islanders -on points. All three guys scored at least 30 goals.

But I voted for John Carlson, the Washington Capitals rookie defenceman who is on their first pairing.

It's too bad Oilers rookie Taylor Hall sprained his ankle with a month left in the season. Maybe he would have scored 30, too.

And the winner is? Skinner should take it. He's still 18 and the youngest player in the league. He also led all rookies in scoring.

jmatheson@edmontonjournal.com