The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has issued a one-game suspension to Minnesota Wild defensemen Carson Soucy for his hit on Arizona Coyotes forward Conor Garland. The punishment is for charging, and the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that this is not a case of a player elevating slightly as part of a natural hitting motion while delivering a full body hit. Nor is it a case of a player coming off the ice after contact because of the force of the collision. If Soucy wishes to deliver this check legally, he must stay low and hit through Garland’s shoulder or core, rather than elevating upward and into his head.
Soucy’s clean record with no fines and suspensions kept the punishment to a minimum, along with the fact that Garland did not suffer a significant injury on the play. Still, the Minnesota defenseman will be held out of their next game and this incident will be taken into account down the line.
Minnesota is back in action tomorrow against the Colorado Avalanche, but Soucy will not be eligible to dress. The 26-year-old has become an important piece for the Wild since the start of the 2019-20 campaign and has eight points in 22 games this season.
yes a good call for this but if he gets 5 mins for this 1 game suspension for this how in the Hell does Brandon Tanev get 5 mins for a really solid body check…the NHL needs to be better and should not become a REC league..some nights I would rather watch Darts…
I think the height difference is the main factor here. You can see Saucy’s shoulder is down until after the hit. Players straighten their bodies when running into the boards to absorb the force. If this was a hit on a guy the same height it would have been an insignificant play.