Andrew Ference given 3-game suspension for check to head of Zack Kassian (Video)
Andrew Ference is no stranger to meeting with the NHL's Department of Player Safety. He's spent time in the room seeing how the DoPS crew works. But he's also been on the other side of the supplementary discipline process.
On Monday, the Edmonton Oilers defenseman was suspended for the third time since 2012 for an illegal hit to the head of Zack Kassian of the Vancouver Canucks:
As Patrick Burke explains, Ference was on the right track with his body position as he was lining up Kassian for the hit, but launching upwards and making contact with the head elevates this to a suspension.
Ference is considered a repeat offender, with his most recent ban coming during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs for a hit to the head of Mikhail Grabovski. He was given 1-game for that. His history with the DoPS stretches back to 2012 when he was suspended 3 games for boarding Ryan McDonagh.
Maybe Ference was overcompensating for the five-ish inches in height that Kassian has on him? Either way, the result will cost the Oilers defenseman $118,902.45 in salary.
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
