Headlines

  • Daly: NHL, NHLPA Have Made “Good Progress” On CBA Talks
  • Bruins, Don Sweeney Agree To Two-Year Extension
  • Capitals Unlikely To Hold Offseason Extension Talks With John Carlson
  • Sharks Sign Egor Afanasyev
  • Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies To Play Game 7
  • Ken Holland Accepts Kings GM Position
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Partners
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Oilers’ Zack Kassian To Face Player Safety Hearing

January 12, 2020 at 9:06 am CDT | by Zach Leach 9 Comments

It’s one thing to stand up for yourself after taking a big hit from an opponent. It’s another thing to take retaliation to the next level by endangering that opponent, especially after a clean hit. Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian overreacted to the nth degree on Saturday after taking a hard check from Calgary Flames star Matthew Tkachuk and now the league has stepped in to review the situation. The Department of Player Safety announced this morning that Kassian will sit for a hearing on Monday and a suspension is likely.

The incident in question occurred late in the second period of Saturday’s rivalry clash (video). Tkachuk lays a powerful, but legal hip check on an unsuspecting Kassian behind Calgary’s net. Kassian gets up from the hit, immediately looking for revenge. It is worth noting that Tkachuk hit Kassian with a not-as-clean check to the head earlier in the game, so it is understandable that the veteran might be looking to put the youngster in his place. However, the way about which Kassian handled the matter was over the top. With Tkachuk still trying to work the puck out from behind the net, Kassian drops his gloves and goes right to the face of the unaware Tkachuk. Kassian proceeds to throw Tkachuk to the ice, deliver a punch to the back of his head, pull him back up, and then deliver several more punches before Tkachuk again falls to the ice and the referees are able to separate the pair. All the while, Tkachuk was merely trying to protect his face while being rag-dolled, never even given the chance to defend himself, nevertheless the opportunity to truly match up with Kassian in a fair fight. Kassian was handed a four-minute double minor for roughing and a ten-minute misconduct for the play.

However, that is unlikely to be the end of the discipline for Kassian. The physical forward is a repeat offender, which will make it very difficult to escape this incident without another suspension. Kassian’s first encounter with Player Safety occurred in 2013 with the Vancouver Canucks, when he was suspended for the first five games of the 2013-14 season as part of an eight-game ban that included three preseason games, stemming from an intentional high sticking penalty. He received another suspension that same season, a three-game ban for a hit from behind. Unrelated to Player Safety, Kassian also sat for 32 games in the 2015-16 season as a member of the Montreal Canadiens for substance abuse issues. Kassian has a long history with NHL discipline and it is likely to lengthen after Monday’s hearing, as he again has shown a lack of restraint, awareness, and self-control that cannot be tolerated in the NHL.

Share 0 Retweet 0 Send via email

Calgary Flames| Edmonton Oilers Matthew Tkachuk| NHL Player Safety| Zack Kassian

Snapshots: Pinto, Zucker, Palat, Lagesson
Main
Trade Rumors: Georgiev, Sharks, Canadiens
View Comments (9)

Comments

  1. acarneglia

    5 years ago

    I mean….Kassian probably saw this coming

    Reply
    • dugdog83

      5 years ago

      Haha nice

      Reply
  2. riverrat55

    5 years ago

    Unfortunately they do look at the past and Kassian has over last few years changed his game from being a 4th line tough guy to a good offensive player , despite Tkachuk’s reputation of being an agitator , he could have skated away or challenged him not go after him as he did, this is as repeated his first rodeo .

    Reply
    • wreckage

      5 years ago

      League is only allowed to go back a certain amount of time to take past into relation to a current ruling. Last time Kassian was suspended was 6 years ago for boarding. This exceeds the time they can use it as labeling him a repeat offender. Kassian will likely receive a fine or 1 game suspension. Majority of media is calling this an error of officiating by not penalizing Tkachuk for the first hit which was deemed by most an illegal hit or for not penalizing him for a charge on the 2nd hit.

      I suspect their game on the 29th will have Edmonton skate all their most physical guys and tell them to target the skilled players of Calgary. See if Lucic can earn his pay as Flames fans see him being there to protect their skilled guys. Should be an interesting home and home series to finish the month.

      Reply
  3. riverrat55

    5 years ago

    isn’t his first rodeo (oops!), time for some Almond Amaretto cappuccino

    Reply
    • MacJablonski--NotVegasLegend

      5 years ago

      Hey, bud, make sure it’s 0% proof at this hour of the day! :) P.S. – Almond Amaretto – good flavor choice!

      Reply
  4. riverrat55

    5 years ago

    No spirits of alcohol for me , just to warm the bones up with winds coming down from the north right smack down the river.

    Reply
  5. Vin Scully

    5 years ago

    Kassian is my new hero. Anyone that punches that guy deserves a free steak dinner.

    1
    Reply
    • windycitykid89

      5 years ago

      Haha for real. Tkachuk knows what he did. He got what he deserved

      1
      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Daly: NHL, NHLPA Have Made “Good Progress” On CBA Talks

    Bruins, Don Sweeney Agree To Two-Year Extension

    Capitals Unlikely To Hold Offseason Extension Talks With John Carlson

    Sharks Sign Egor Afanasyev

    Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies To Play Game 7

    Ken Holland Accepts Kings GM Position

    Nicklas Bäckström To Attempt Resuming Playing Career In Sweden

    Golden Knights, Jack Eichel Have Had Preliminary Extension Talks

    Wild Sign Danila Yurov To Entry-Level Contract

    Johnston: “Zero Reason” To Believe Mitch Marner Signs Extension With Maple Leafs

    Recent

    Maple Leafs Notes: Tavares, Marner, Matthews, Nylander

    Senators Sign Luke Ellinas To Entry-Level Contract

    Winnipeg Jets Notes: Connor, Morrissey, Schenn, Fleury

    Golden Knights Sign Tuomas Uronen To Entry-Level Contract

    Capitals Reassign Andrew Cristall To AHL

    Laurent Dauphin Remains In Canadiens Organization On Two-Year AHL Deal

    Max Pacioretty Unsure Of Playing Future

    Blackhawks RFA Aku Raty Signs In Finland

    Daly: NHL, NHLPA Have Made “Good Progress” On CBA Talks

    Offseason Checklist: Columbus Blue Jackets

    Rumors By Team

    Rumors By Team

    • Avalanche Rumors
    • Blackhawks Rumors
    • Blue Jackets Rumors
    • Blues Rumors
    • Bruins Rumors
    • Canadiens Rumors
    • Canucks Rumors
    • Capitals Rumors
    • Devils Rumors
    • Ducks Rumors
    • Flames Rumors
    • Flyers Rumors
    • Golden Knights Rumors
    • Hurricanes Rumors
    • Islanders Rumors
    • Jets Rumors
    • Kings Rumors
    • Kraken Rumors
    • Lightning Rumors
    • Mammoth Rumors
    • Maple Leafs Rumors
    • Oilers Rumors
    • Panthers Rumors
    • Penguins Rumors
    • Predators Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Red Wings Rumors
    • Sabres Rumors
    • Senators Rumors
    • Sharks Rumors
    • Stars Rumors
    • Wild Rumors

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Brock Boeser Rumors
    • Scott Laughton Rumors
    • Brock Nelson Rumors
    • Rickard Rakell Rumors
    • Mikko Rantanen Rumors

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    • Support Pro Hockey Rumors And Go Ad-Free
    • 2024-25 Salary Cap Deep Dive Series
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Primers
    • 2025 NHL Free Agent List
    • 2026 NHL Free Agent List
    • Active Roster Tracker
    • Arbitration-Eligible Free Agents 2025
    • Draft Order 2025
    • Trade Tracker
    • Pro Hockey Rumors On X
    • Pro Hockey Rumors Polls
    • Waiver Claims 2024-25

     

     

     

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives

    PHR Info

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Commenting Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

    scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version