Line brawl between the Leafs and Sabres, or, 'NHL Gets What It Deserves, Enjoys It'

So lunacy reigned in Toronto last night, as the Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres clashed in an exhibition game, and got into a phallus-measuring contest.  Actually, that would have been less objectionable video than this.

1)  Why is John Scott permitted to play in the NHL?

2)  Why is Phil Kessel not completely within his rights to wield his stick to defend himself from a gorilla on the loose?  The refs won't protect him, Gary Bettman won't protect him.  Phil Kessel is trying to score goals, to play hockey, but has to survive intimidation tactics, he's working in an unsafe environment, yet the CEO of the company who pays a lot of lip service to player safety is too busy to take care of this, he's trying to make ice in L.A.

From the TSN article, here's why Mr. Kessel may be suspended:

Kessel would not drop his gloves to fight Scott, but instead swung his stick twice at Scott. His actions resulted in both slashing and fighting penalties.

and

Kessel received a match penalty for his retaliation on Scott, a ruling imposed for deliberate attempt to injure another player. The NHL Rulebook states that any player given a match penalty "shall be automatically suspended from further competition" until a ruling is handed down by the Commissioner.

So 5'9" Phil Kessel was supposed to drop his stick and allow 6'9" John Scott to pummel him senseless.  And John Scott's attempt to engage Phil Kessel was not a "deliberate attempt to injure another player"?

3)  One of the many horrible things about this incident is the chortling duo of idiot boosters working the broadcast, who cheer this on and hearken back to old-time hockey.  The culture of hockey, starting from the hockey parents, the executives, the coaches, the GM, all that has to change.  No wonder NHL players say they don't want fighting banned from the game when polled on this matter, they've grown up in that environment, they're like fish who don't understand that they're wet.  

4)  Giant pile of absence of credibility Randy Carlyle says: "We're not proud or happy of what went on."  Really?  You consistently dress Mark Fraser, Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren for no reason other than their ability with their fists and their propensity to let their elbows fly, and you're not proud?  Really?