Brad Marchand suspended 2 games for slew-foot (Video)
Perhaps Brad Marchand has forgotten that slew-footing another player is still illegal in the NHL?
On Thursday night, Marchand slew-footed Rangers forward Derick Brassard sending him dangerously into the boards and down to the ice. The referees did not penalize Marchand on the play; however, the NHL was quick to announce post-game that Marchand would have a hearing on Friday.
The hearing was completed and the Bruins will be without Marchand for the next two games. He'll also be a hefty $48,387.10 lighter in the wallet, with the funds going to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
Here's the Department of Player Safety with their reasoning for the suspension:
As mentioned in the video, this isn't Marchand's first time at the slew-footing rodeo.
Back in 2011, Marchand was hit with a $2,500 fine by the NHL for slew-footing then-Pittsburgh defenseman Matt Niskanen. The Bruins forward acknowledged his negative behavior:
“It was a dangerous play and it was definitely a slew-foot,” Marchand said. “Those are dangerous plays and guys can get hurt like that. It’s something I shouldn’t have done and they penalized me for it and I’ll move on now.”
It's been a few years in between incidents, at least incidents caught by the NHL, but the play is still dangerous and still illegal. Changes in the CBA, and possibly the leadership at the DoPS, have resulted in the transformation from fineable to a suspendable.
Marchand will miss Boston's next two games: at home versus Columbus on Saturday and on the road against Dallas on Wednesday. On the season, the forward is fourth on the team in scoring at 24-points; he has 12 goals, 12 assists, and 62 penalty minutes.
He knows better, as do all players who are trying to get a competitive advantage over their opponents. The way the decide to do the latter is up to them.
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Jen Neale is a staff writer for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter!
