Hit on Phoenix Coyotes’ Mike Smith: Chicago Blackhawks’ Andrew Shaw banned for 3 games - NHL News
The National Hockey League (NHL) has suspended Chicago Blackhawks’ centre, Andrew Shaw, for three games and according to some commentators, it was the punishment well suited to the level of the foul.
Shaw was involved in a hit on Phoenix Coyotes’ goaltender, Mike Smith, in game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Saturday, April 14, 2012.
The league’s disciplinarians heard the case on Monday, April 16, 2012, and after the proceedings, the office imposed the ban on Shaw.
While announcing the penalty, the NHL’s disciplinarian, Brendan Shanahan, said that the hit from Shaw was not an accidental one but a calculated blow.
He said:
"The contact Shaw makes with Smith is not incidental. Rather, it is a forceful blow delivered by Shaw's shoulder to Smith's chin. Also, in our opinion, Shaw does not make a reasonable effort to avoid such contact."
According to some commentators, the severity of the punishment was very much expected as the incident involved a goaltender.
The league office tends to come rather harder on players who target netminders as subjects to their foul plays.
The three-game suspension is probably the highest level of punishment imposed by the NHL during the current playoff round. In some other cases, the office has imposed hefty fines on players and officials involved in any misconduct.
Smith was subjected to a hit from behind the net during the second period of the game. As a result, he came down on the ice and remained motionless for several minutes.
He was lucky to have escaped the possibility of a severe injury and was able to play through the entire game.
Shaw was assessed a five-minute penalty and misconduct during the game. According to the league disciplinarian, this was the maximum penalty allowed under the relevant rules. Apparently, no leniency seems to have been adopted by the office.
Most recently, the NHL had come under fire over its decision against suspension of Nashville Predators’ defenseman, Shea Weber, who had slammed Detroit Red Wings’ Henrik Zetterberg’s head into the boards during first game of the playoff series.
Weber was fined over the foul, but escaped suspension and the NHL was criticised over the choice of not imposing a ban on the player.
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