St. Louis Blues’ Ian Cole faces three-game suspension for hit and what it means for the NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL) announced another suspension on Sunday, January 1, 2012, after reviewing a hit which involved St. Louis Blues’ defenseman, Ian Cole, and Detroit Red Wings’, Justin Abdelkader, during their Saturday night matchup.
In the incident, Cole is seen making a hit on Abdelkader who has just taken control of the puck and since it looked like that the head was the main point for intentional contact, the NHL’s senior vice president for player safety and hockey operations, Brendan
Shanahan, made the announcement that Cole was suspended for three-games.
Shanahan announced through his video announcing the suspension that the play which occurred at 9:11 into the first period, Cole made an illegal hit to the player, which was targeted to the head.
Looking at the replay of the incident, Abdelkader is just receiving the puck and settling it into his control but then, Cole comes out in front of the player while his view is down and makes a full speed shoulder hit to the player, sending him spiralling
down on the ice.
In an attempt to clear himself of the charges, Cole termed his hit as one that was unintentional of it being targeted to the head, but as the NHL has implemented strict rules and regulations for this season in terms of player safety and their war on the
concussion epidemic, letting any single shot to the head would be a bad move.
"While we agree with Cole's assertions that he did not intend to hit Abdelkader in the head and did not use his elbow, this is a quintessential example of wrecklessly targeting a player's head and making it the principal point of contact. As was made clear
in the department of player safety rules explanation video, that all NHL players were required to watch during the preseason, targeting can be defined as either intentional or wreck less”, Shanahan said in the video.
When approached for his views on the incident, 24-year-old Detroit left winger, Justin Abdelkader, was thankful that the shot did not result in a concussion after he passed the compulsory tests after such hits. According to Abdelkader, he lost balance and
it took him a few moments to get back on the ice and clear his vision, which is something he regards as a part of the plays that happen during games.
Cole also told the Post-Dispatch reporters that his hit was not intentional in terms of it being targeted for the head, but rather he was trying to make a move on his shoulders but since he was facing down, the head also came into contact.
The 22-year-old from Ann Arbor, Missouri, United States, was drafted as the 18th overall pick during round-one of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by St. Louis and is currently playing in his second straight season with the team.
Last season, Ian Cole picked up only four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in the 26 games he played with the Blues along with 35 minutes in penalty time.
Now, Cole has the same number of points in 13 games in the current season, making this possibly the breakthrough year he has been hoping for.
The NHL has shown and continues to do so that they certainly are committed to take action against any hit, whether intentional or not, which targets the head in order to cut down on players being injured with concussions.
Cole will be eligible to return back with St. Louis on January 10, against the Montreal Canadiens.
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