He messed up, he'll pay. And please, don't get caught up in the business of saying if you or I hit someone at work, we'd be fired. But in our jobs, we're not checking someone into the water cooler or dropping our gloves to fight in the lunchroom. After all, it is a league that, if not encourages or condones thuggery, at least looks the other way. I'll also argue the NHL blurs the line.
Violence is an integral part of hockey.
It always will be. The fights won't go away.