According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Senators forward Mike Hoffman has a telephone hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety Friday. The hearing concerns Hoffman’s crosscheck to the head of San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture during the third period Wednesday night.
Hoffman crosschecked Couture midway through the third period in a 2-2 game last night (link to video). Couture initially crosschecked Hoffman earlier in the play, then Hoffman responded after losing the puck by going after Couture. It is unclear whether Hoffman targeted Couture’s head—rather than his back—as Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon had his stick in Hoffman’s arms and Couture himself was crouched down slightly.
NBC’s Pierre McGuire told TSN 1200 that while he thinks Hoffman should get five games (audio link), the league will probably hand out a lesser suspension. Hoffman currently ranks 3rd in team scoring with 9G and 21A in 28 games, and an already sluggish offence—22nd overall—could become even more stagnant. It’s difficult to assess what the NHL decides in this case. A significant suspension would signal that the league is tough on hits to the head, something becoming more and more relevant as concussion-related litigation infiltrates the four major sports.
They really should be crucifying guys for targeting the head but in a sport like hockey it’s hard to tell sometimes what a player’s intent was.