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Patrick Maroon Suspended Two Games For Interference

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Patrick Maroon was ejected from last night’s Edmonton-Los Angeles game after a hit on Drew Doughty, and that won’t be his only punishment. Maroon has been suspended two games by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Maroon came together with Doughty in the corner before the Kings’ defenseman had ever touched the puck. As the accompanying video explains:

While we understand that Maroon reasonably anticipated that Doughty would get the puck, the onus is on the hitter that the player he is hitting is eligible to be checked and that the hit is delivered legally. On this play, at the moment Maroon commits to the hit, the puck is in the possession of [Connor] McDavid. 

In addition to this hit being interference, what causes this hit to rise to the level of supplemental discipline, is the significant force and substantial head contact that occurs.

Maroon, despite being a physical player, has never been fined or suspended by the DoPS previously, making this a steep penalty for a first-time offender. This is exactly the type of hit to the head the league has been trying to eliminate, as Doughty was an unsuspecting opponent that had no chance of defending himself.

The Oilers will have to go without Maroon for the next couple of matches, with him eligible to return on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Zac Rinaldo Suspended Six Games

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Zac Rinaldo must be used to this phone call by now. The Arizona Coyotes forward has been suspended six games for his latest illegal incident, punching Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard. Rinaldo has now been suspended five times in his NHL career. The Department of Player Safety had offered Rinaldo an in-person hearing to defend himself, but he declined and instead had a phone hearing today with the league.

After delivering a hit on Nathan MacKinnon, Rinaldo grabs Girard and throws a punch without the Colorado defenseman even looking at him. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that while we accept Rinaldo’s explanation that he believed that because Girard had approached him after the hit, meant that Girard was anticipating a fight, ultimately the video shows this is not the case. Whatever Girard’s intentions, he gives Rinaldo no clear indication that he is a willing combatant.

While he doesn’t qualify as a repeat offender in terms of the increased salary sacrificed during his suspension, the DoPS takes into account all of his former disciplinary matters. Rinaldo has also been fined by the league twice and received suspensions in the minor leagues.

The 27-year old will be kept out of the lineup until January 11th.

Matthew Tkachuk Suspended One Game

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2:20pm: Tkachuk has been suspended for one game according to John Shannon of Sportsnet. The Flames play tonight in Montreal. This is Tkachuk’s third suspension of his young career. As the accompanying video explains:

While the spear itself is not forceful or malicious enough to merit supplemental discipline on its own, two factors caused this play to rise to the level of a suspension. First, Tkachuk is on the bench when he intentionally strikes a player on the playing surface…second, Tkachuk is a repeat offender, having been suspended for a similar incident just ten games ago.

8:16am: The Department of Player Safety must have Matthew Tkachuk on speed-dial by now. The Calgary Flames forward will receive another hearing with the disciplinary committee after spearing Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matt Martin from the bench in last night’s game. Tkachuk, who wasn’t involved in the scrum at all, stuck his stick into Martin’s ribs without the officials noticing on the ice.

Matthew TkachukIt’s not the first time Tkachuk has been caught for a stick infraction like this. Just recently, he was suspended one game for his part in the Flames-Red Wings brawl, when he used his stick to goad Luke Witkowski back onto the ice. Witkowski was given an automatic 10-game ban for coming back after being ejected.

To be clear, the hearing isn’t for the act of spearing itself. Tkachuk is instead receiving it for “unsportsmanlike conduct” which likely has more to do with his history with the league. The young forward also received a two-game ban for elbowing Drew Doughty last season, and has built quite the reputation for himself already. The league likely believes they can put a stop to this kind of behavior by handing out a suspension for a play that was relatively innocuous, letting Tkachuk know that he has a target on his back.

The pesky Calgary forward has become one of the best in the league at getting under opponents’ skin, and did so last night against the Maple Leafs. He drew a cross-checking penalty on Jake Gardiner, when the Toronto defender got a little frustrated with his play, and was in Frederik Andersen’s crease all night. Though Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock praised Tkachuk’s overall game, he called the spear “junior hockey stuff” and said that he’d learn not to do it eventually.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Poll: Fairness In NHL’s Fines And Suspensions?

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In a season where penalties are down, there has been a surprising amount of newsworthy fines and suspensions early on in 2017-18. The unfortunate thing for the NHL is the only common theme between these instances of league punishment seem to be inconsistency and a lack of sense.

Three players – Steven Stamkos, Kevin Hayes, and most recently Matt Dumba – have been fined $5,000 apiece this season for water squirting. It’s not exactly a lethal offense, but is probably worthy of a minor infraction. Except, Alex Killorn received the same $5,000 fine in the same game as Stamkos’ and Hayes’ water fight for viciously jabbing Hayes until he received a slashing penalty. J.T. Brown and Steven Kampfer then riled up the benches with a long, intense fight and received no additional penalty minutes outside their matching majors and no fines. In a separate instance the other night, Patrick Kane also received a $5,000 fine. His offense: this two-handed swinging slash on Nick Ritchie which could have been much worse had it landed cleanly.

The curious thing about all of these fines is that they are the maximum under the NHL CBA. This came up earlier in the season as well, when Robert Bortuzzo’s received the max fine of just over $3,000 for pinning down and repeatedly cross-checking Brock Nelson. So in summary, water squirting has been a fine-able offense three times this season, and for the same maximum amount as slashing and more than the maximum amount for cross-checking.

Then, there are suspensions. The ten-game ban for perennial bad guy Radko Gudas was well-earned, while the ten-game suspension for leaving the bench handed out to Luke Witkowski is a tried and true policy. Yet, Witkowski was responding to this jab from Matthew Tkachuk which more or less also happened off the ice. For that offense, Tkachuk received only a one-game suspension. As minor a “spear” as it might have been, Tkachuk still made contact with a player off the ice, but the NHL thought Witkowski stepping back on the ice to have words with Tkachuk was ten times worse? Tkachuk was back in the spotlight the other night, drawing a four-game suspension for Gabriel Landeskog, who NHL Player Safety even acknowledged was not intending to hurt Tkachuk, so much as get him away from the puck.

On it’s face, the NHL’s fines and suspensions – a product of both the league and NHLPA – seem inconsistent at best. But what say you? Do you think these are isolated incidents? Or a pattern of inequitable punishment?

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Matthew Tkachuk Suspended For One Game

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Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk has been suspended for one game for his part in an incident with Detroit on Wednesday against Detroit, TSN reports.  This is the second suspension of his career after he received a two-game ban for an elbowing incident back in March.

Shortly following a play that saw Red Wings forward Luke Witkowski get ejected, Tkachuk hit Witkowski with his stick as he was walking towards the dressing room.  An incited Witkowski then returned to the ice which sparked quite the melee.  At the end of it, Tkachuk was given a five-minute major penalty for spearing as well as a game misconduct on the play.  Meanwhile,  Witkowski, who received a whopping 37 minutes in penalties for his part in the fracas, received an automatic ten-game suspension for violating Rule 70.6 when he returned to the ice to fight after being ordered off by officials.

As a result of the suspension, Tkachuk will miss Saturday afternoon’s game against Philadelphia.  He will be eligible to return to their lineup on Monday night in Washington.

Tom Wilson Suspended For Two Preseason Games

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2:44 PM: Wilson has been suspended for two preseason games, the Department of Player Safety announced.

11:17 AM: To the surprise of many, including head coach Barry Trotz, Washington Capital’s grinder Tom Wilson will have a hearing regarding an interference call in last night’s preseason game against the St. Louis Blues. In a quick turnaround, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced their appointment with Wilson this morning for a hearing later today. It is a fast response, with the potential to be forceful as well, when it comes to Wilson, who is starting to get a reputation as one of the league’s biggest thugs.

The hit in question, as you can see, was a hard check on St. Louis 2017 first-round pick Robert Thomas. Thomas was chasing the puck, which drew the interference call, when Wilson swung in an hit him with a shoulder to the upper body. Wilson leaves his feet to make contact, which Player Safety will surely call attention to. Thomas was not injured on the play and Wilson quickly fought Dmitrij Jaskin and then served his penalty and with the pace of the game, no one gave much of a second thought to the ordeal. The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan even reports that Trotz had planned to use Wilson in tonight’s game. However, the league, and new Head of Player Safety and former enforcer himself George Parros, would like to take a closer look at Wilson’s most recent incident.

Amazingly, if Wilson is suspended for the hit, it will be the first suspension of his NHL career. Wilson has had his fair share of hearing, two ending in substantial fines, but has never missed any time. However, the timing of this hearing could mean that his lucky streak is about to end. With the main focus of the NHL this season clearly being a desire to clean up play and reduce injuries, a statement suspension for a guy too often on the wrong side of dirty plays would seem to fit the narrative.

Early Notes: Parros, Jets, Red Wings

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George Parros will the new voice at the top of the Department of Player Safety according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, who reports that current head Stephane Quintal will be staying with the league but taking on different projects. Quintal will help Parros transition into the leadership role, which comes with its fair share of stressors.

Parros was known for his fists during his playing days, and continues what has been a trend for the DoPS; hiring those who played their career right on the edge of the rules. The Princeton grad will be the decision maker on many suspensions and fines next season, something that comes with incredible scrutiny. Friedman also mentions that newly retired Shane Doan has been considered as a replacement for Chris Pronger, who departed the DoPS for the Florida Panthers this offseason.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have indeed given extensions to both GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and coach Paul Maurice, both coming with multi-year terms. The pair will be in Winnipeg for the next several years, trying to take a franchise to the playoffs for just the third time in their history (Atlanta included). Cheveldayoff has done strong work in the draft room and getting players under contract, but he’ll have a huge offseason ahead of him next year. 19 players are restricted free agents including most of their forward group, and another five will be unrestricted. It could change the course of the franchise should he not be able to find a way to fit them all in.
  • Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) went all-in on the Detroit Red Wings and their ongoing negotiations with Andreas Athanasiou, explaining where each side is and how they’ve come to a point where the KHL is a legitimate option. He mentions how Sam Bennett’s recent contract could easily be a starting point for the Athanasiou camp, as the Detroit forward outscored his fellow Definitive Hockey client last season. The most interesting part of the whole piece is near the end, when Custance mentions that the Red Wings are in conversations on several trade fronts around the league. GM Ken Holland has admitted that if they’re to get through camp healthy, a move would likely be required to keep the Red Wings cap-compliant.

KHL, IIHF Hand Out Three Doping Suspensions

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The KHL has suspended three players for violating their doping policy, after working with the IIHF to test 377 samples from the league. Derek Smith has been suspended until September 2nd, 2018, Andrei Konev until November 19th of this year, and Danis Zaripov until May 22nd, 2019 for use of a prohibited substance. Zaripov’s suspension carries a longer penalty for also testing positive for a prohibited masking substance.

Zaripov is easily the most recognizable name of the group, known as one of the best non-NHL players in the world. The 36-year old suited up for Russia at the 2010 Olympics, and holds five World Championship medals. He also has won the Gagarin Cup—the KHL championship—four times and has scored over 450 career points for Ak Bars Kazan since the KHL began in 2008.

Smith had a cup of coffee in the NHL, playing 94 games over five seasons before heading overseas to continue his career. He played 44 games in the KHL this season, registering nine points. The 32-year old defenseman was undrafted, but signed with the Ottawa Senators out of Lake Superior State in 2007.

Konev is the youngest of the bunch at 28, but has had trouble finding regular work in the KHL over the years. Playing in just 24 games this past year, he registered two points. The defenseman hasn’t played more than 24 games in a single season since 2009-10, often finding himself on the fringes of the roster.

Shane Doan Era Nearing Conclusion

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Although it’s certainly not the biggest issue Arizona management will face this off-season, it could well be the end of an era for the team. Shane Doan has captained the franchise for the last 14 years, but has seen the team reach the franchise reach the conference finals only once. Doan is the rare example of a player who is far more than the sum of his point totals and stat-lines. He’s never broken 80 points, and only hit 30 goals once, but has been a consistent presence – potting a very respectable 972 career points in 1540 career games. This last season, he saw a momentous drop in production, from 28 goals and 47 points in 2015-16 to 6 goals and 27 points this past year. His best years are most certainly behind him, with  his impact on the ice being negligible. Yet, his leadership ability on a young Coyotes squad could be near impossible to replace.

At 40 years old, Doan is the last surviving original Winnipeg Jet. He was an unlikely candidate to outlast his teammates that season. Although he was the youngest player on the team, he was outperformed by fellow rookie Deron Quint and finished a measley 17th in team scoring. He had a strong playoff and found himself shuttled to the deserts of Arizona, where he eventually became captain in 2003-04. The Coyotes have missed the playoffs 11 times under his leadership. And yet with all the difficulties Phoenix/Arizona faced, Doan was the constant face of re-assurance for a worried fanbased, and a consistent performer on an inconsistent squad. His play always remained the same, whether the team was at the bubble of making the playoffs, or 30 points out. His tenacity has been revered around the league, and his on-the-edge play even resulted in a few league suspensions when he crossed the line.

Doan has been pivotal to a team that yet again deeply entrenched in the re-building phase. At 40 years old, it seems unlikely that Doan will return for another season. The Coyotes will be expected by most around the league to finish short of the 8th spot yet again. But the younger players on the team, such as Anthony Duclair, Lawson Crouse, Max Domi, Dylan Strome, Clayton Keller, and Jakob Chychrun, would suffer greatly in their development from his absence. In an off-season where the team is quite likely to also lose 35 year-old Radim Vrbata, there will be a serious vacuum of veteran voices in the Arizona locker room.

Doan would probably see a pay cut from his last paycheck of $3.87 MM per year if he wanted to spend another year in the desert. If he does not don the maroon again, the captaincy and his position as a physical winger will need to be replaced. There are other veteran forwards available for the taking, such as Patrick Eaves and Thomas Vanek, but both players will likely be looking for longer-term deals. Regardless of whether Doan returns or not, his mark on the Coyote franchise will not soon be forgotten, and his influence on the organizational mindset will be felt for years.

Draisaitl Avoids Suspension, Receives Fine

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The NHL Department of Player Safety has opted not to suspend Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl for his spear on Chris Tierney, but has decided instead to fine him a total of $2,569.44. In the second period of Game 4, which at the moment of infraction was well out of reach at 5-0, Draisaitl and Tierney engaged in the corner – after which Tierney successfully cycles the puck behind Edmonton net. In seeming frustration, Draisaitl re-raises his stick upwards into the nether-regions of Tierney, at which point Tierney is felled to the ice. Draisaitl received a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct. The incident can be viewed here.

The NHL Department of Player Safety continues to display why suspensions are so impossible to predict. The only recent corollary which didn’t receive a suspension was Sidney Crosby’s similar maneuver back in March against Ryan O’Reilly. This incident sparked a flurry of criticism against the Department of Player Safety for its seeming inconsistency, although there were many notable detractors who concurred with the league. Stars in today’s NHL undoubtedly need to carve out space for themselves, but this sort of low-blow is generally considered beyond acceptable, gentlemanly bounds. Brad Marchand, less of household name (even though he scored only 8 less points on the season), received a 2 game suspension for a remarkably analogous blow.

Granted, history of less-than-stellar behavior had a definitive role in the Marchand suspension, whereas Draisaitl and Crosby both had clean slates. There is also the undeniable factor that playoff suspensions are rarer and generally far less extreme. Oilers fans will no doubt cheer the fact that the young stud Draisaitl will be laced up for an extremely important Game 5. His 77 points on the season would be even more remarkable if they were not out-shined by the extraordinary glow of his fellow millennial Connor McDavid. In a series which might be franchise-defining, this is the best of news.

But the fact remains that at some point, there needs to be a standard set with a star player. $2,569 is little hardship for professional athletes at this compensation level. Although the explanations by the DoPS have been extremely helpful in trying to convey the league’s perspective, the punishments seem to fluctuate wildly. For now, the roulette wheel of justice spins on.

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