Case in Point -- NHL slaps Simon with 25-game suspension - Yahoo! News

NHL slaps Simon with 25-game suspension - Yahoo! News: "'I know what type of guy Chris is, and he's an honest guy. I saw the hit he took, and he lost control a little bit too much, and that's what it's all about,' Brashear, now with the
Washington Capitals, said after Saturday night's 5-2 loss to the Islanders. 'That's where it gets dangerous.

'A guy loses control, and you don't know what's going to happen. We try to stay away from those, and I'm sure after it happened, he looked at himself and said, 'What the hell am I doing?' It looked like he meant to do something else. Sometimes, guys have to pay the price, and I guess he's going to be one of them.'"

Was Chris Simon's action a deliberate act or revenge, or simply an overpowering urge to retaliate? A primal instinct that overpowered any sense of better judgment?

The question is less whether the punishment fits, but whether threat of punishment affects that type of decision-making. Hopefully along with a better understanding of neuroscience will be a better way to educate the subconscious mind on how to evaluate potential consequences.