The NHL has made player safety a priority in recent years and this includes suspensions for illegal hits or stick infractions. Although some suggest that the rules are arbitrarily applied there’s no argument that taking a hard line stance against dirty play is to the benefit of hockey. The most recent ‘justice’ handed down by the NHL Department of Player Safety came against a player that no one would ever suggest is a ‘cheap shot’–Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Evgeni Malkin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Malkin was suspended one game for what the NHL Department of Player Safety described as an ‘intentional stick swing, with force, for the purposes of retaliation’<\/a> against Philadelphia Flyers’ forward Michael Raffl. The infraction occurred late in the Penguins’ 4-1 victory over the Flyers on Monday night<\/a>. Raffl took a cheap shot, landing a punch to the back of Malkin’s head. Malkin retaliated by swinging his stick toward Raffl’s head. The Flyers’ forward took evasive action and there was no harm done but that still didn’t mitigate the infraction in the eyes of the on-ice officals. Malkin was given a match penalty for high sticking at 15:06 of the third period and ejected from the game. He also received a ten minute misconduct. The referee apparently didn’t see the original punch thrown by Raffl as he was not penalized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Malkin felt bad about the position he put his team in even though the Penguins went on to win the game: <\/p>\n\n\n\n “I don’t know why I’m not playing smart with five minutes left. I know it’s scary, but I didn’t touch his helmet or his shoulder. I gave them a five-minute power play. It’s my fault, for sure.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The NHL’s version of events takes exception with Malkin’s claim that his stick didn’t touch Raffl. The NHL’s ruling included the following<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It’s important to note that while we understand Malkin’s contention that his stick only made glancing contact with Raffl, this does not excuse his actions. NHL stick fouls do not require that contact be made for discipline to be assessed.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n