Hit on Nashville Predators forward: Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Rostislav Klesla gets game-ban-NHL News
The National Hockey League (NHL) has found illegal the boarding of Nashville Predators’ forward, Matt Halischuk, by Phoenix Coyotes’ defenseman, Rostislav Klesla, and landed the latter a game’s suspension due to the foul.
Some of the commentators consider Klesla lucky to have escaped a possibility of severe punishment as the hit was described to be very dangerous.
The incident occurred in Game 4 of the Western Conference playoff semi-final series held on Friday, May 04, 2012.
Halischuk, following the hit, went on the sidelines for a while but later returned to finish the game, which was won by Coyotes, 1-0.
Klesla was given two-minute penalty on the ice and the NHL, after reviewing the hit under the relevant players’ safety rules, has handed down a game ban to him.
As per details of the incident, Klesla shoved Halischuk from behind, looking to grab his jersey before pushing him into the boards just in front of their bench.
The player rested on the sidelines for a while but apparently no serious injury was reported. After a brief stay on the bench, he returned and played until the end.
Predators’ coach, Barry Trotz, in his postgame comments, said it was a ‘dangerous’ hit.
He said:
“I looked at it and it was a really dangerous hit in my eyes."
Trotz, however, adopted a cautious approach and refrained from commenting on how the officials should handle this matter.
He said:
"How the referees or the league will view it, I can't really speak on that, but from my eyes and knowing from playing defence, drilling him when you do that whiplash effect of pulling the shirt and then driving him, it was really fortunate that Halischuk
did sort of spin at the last moment."
There is always a strong probability of a coach being punished by the league office if he is too critical of the officiating in a game, and most likely this was the reason Trotz did not say much about the incident.
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