NHL Suspends Edmonton Oilers defenseman Andy Sutton for five-games -News Update
Edmonton Oilers lost one of their veteran players on Tuesday, November 1, 2011, after the National Hockey League’s (NHL) senior vice president for player safety and hockey operations, Brendan Shanahan, suspended defenseman, Andy Sutton, for the next five
contests after reviewing an incident which occurred during their matchup with Colorado Avalanche.
The Oilers won their fourth straight game against the Colorado Avalanche earlier on Friday, October 28, in which Sutton was called for elbowing Gabriel Landeskog in the head and was awarded with a minor penalty.
After reviewing the hit the NHL disciplinarian, Brendan Shanahan, made his announcement and termed the hit illegal.
"At the moment of impact, it's clear that the head is the principal point of contact and has been recklessly targeted", Shanahan said in a video on NHL.com. "Landeskog is looking back for the pass and rotates his head, but the position of his head does not
dramatically change".
Learning about his suspension, Sutton termed it unreasonable and uncalled for, especially since he had no intention of committing an illegal hit.
"I have been informed of and understand the league's decision, however, I had no intention of delivering an illegal check", Sutton said. "For 14 years, I've always played the game with respect and integrity and I will continue to do so when I return".
Sutton will be missing the next five contests with the Edmonton Oilers, which are all on the road against the Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings.
The 36-year-old will be eligible to make a comeback during their final away game before returning home against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, November 13, 2011.
Along with the five game suspension, Sutton will also be forfeiting nearly $57,000 in salary, which according to the collective bargaining agreement, will be transferred to the NHL Players Emergency Fund.
At the moment, Sutton has one goal in his past 10 appearances with the Oilers and 31 minutes in penalty time. For Edmonton, he is a true enforcer and not having him on the team can mean less physicality during their upcoming matchups.
It will be interesting to see who takes his place until Sutton makes a comeback.
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