Edmonton Oilers’ Tom Gilbert fined for hit on Calgary Flames’ Matt Stajan
A rule change was made before the start of the current National Hockey League season, stating that all players who make illegal hits to the head are liable to receive fines, or even suspensions.
Repeat offenders would suffer more severe penalties.
Tom Gilbert, a defenceman with the Edmonton Oilers, is the latest player to receive a fine for a hit to the head of another player. During a game against the archrival Calgary Flames on
Saturday, 16 October, Gilbert made a hit to the head of Flames centre Matt Stajan.
Stajan was not injured by Gilbert’s hit, and went on to finish the game, with Gilbert being given a penalty for interference by the on-ice officials.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, Gilbert received a fine of $2,500, the maximum amount that is allowed for such an offence.
The Flames, who won the game 5-3 over the Oilers, welcomed Stajan back into their line-up on Thursday, 14 October. Stajan had been out of action since the pre-season, when he suffered
a separated shoulder. He would go on to put up three assists in the game.
Gilbert and the Oilers have had a decent start to the 2010-11 season, going 2-2-0 in their first four games. The arrival of rookies Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Magnus Paajarvi have
provided the team with some much-need support on offence.
Calgary has also gotten off to a 2-2-0 start, and faced Edmonton in their season opener. The Oilers handed the Flames a 4-0 shutout loss in that game, which was the new season’s first
instalment of The Battle of Alberta. With the return of star players Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay, the Flames seem poised to make a return to the postseason.
The Flames will play their next game on Tuesday, 19 October, against the Nashville Predators, while the Oilers will do battle with the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, 21 October.
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