McSorley and his lawyer are pushing for a court date in the summer or early autumn. On one hand, there are those who argue that this is justice, that McSorley's actions cannot be condoned regardless of whether he's in a sports arena. On the other hand, others argue that the NHL was stiff in its punishment and that these matters are better left in the hands of the league. McSorley is the 12th NHL player to land in court for an on-ice incident. The precedent is that when the law gets involved in such matters, it is with reluctance.
Convictions are rare and punishment is token.
There is another side to this coin, of course, one shared by many in and out of hockey. That is that anyone who hits another over the head with a piece of lumber, who knows it's wrong and dangerous, should shut his yap and take his punishment.