Washington Capitals Mike Green’s 3-game ban makes defenseman pay hefty price for head hit-NHL News
Washington Capitals’ defenseman, Mike Green, has been made to pay the price of approximately $85K, which his suspension will cost him in total as a result of a hit on Tampa Bay Lightning’s rookie, Brett Connolly, in their game on Thursday, March 08, 2012.
Green is suspended under the players’ safety rules by the National Hockey League (NHL) for three games without pay, and the ousting is expected to cost the player as much as $85,135.
The fine total, which comes as a result of suspension of his wages is said to be a hefty amount and many commentators believe that the fine should serve enough to discipline the player.
He was told of suspension on Friday, March 09, 2012, a day after the match in which he knocked down the rookie, Connolly. Surprisingly, no penalty was called on the player and the player had return to later part of the game after spending sometime on the
sidelines.
Lightening’s right wing was hit in the head by Green, while another Capitals’ player pinned him against the board. The player fell on the ice and remained there for a while before taken to the sidelines for examination.
Capitals’ defence, Dmitry Orlov, who pinned down Connolly against the board before the hit, escaped the possibility of a punishment, as his partner faced it.
Connolly had remained on the sideline following the injury that had come in the second period of the game but returned in the closing period and took an active part in the game.
Following the hit, it was feared that his injury might be of serious nature such as concussion etc, but luckily he remained safe from meeting the worst situation.
Later, the team confirmed Connolly was healthy and fit and did not experience anything such as concussion like symptoms in the aftermath. He remains available on the active roster for the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, while looking at the impact of the hit, Green was seen to face the penalty most likely. Given the fact that the victim was cornered by another player before the hit, the impact of it was severer than could have been in another scenario.
Lucky for Connolly that he had avoided the extreme possibility of concussion, Green was made to face the music without any hesitations.
However, he along with some analysts might not have seen so severe punishment as to cost him nearly a hundred thousand bucks, but the NHL believed it was well deserved by him.
It even could have been costlier for his hit-target if he had suffered concussions given the serious nature of the injury.
The injury has already taken down a number of star players, such as Chicago Blackhawks’ captain, Jonathan Toews, and Pittsburgh Penguins’ centre, Sidney Crosby. Both of them have already missed nearly ten games respectively and there is no timeline for their
return yet.
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