One NHL Game, Two Hearings

What was seemingly a normal Penguins-Bruins game turned out to be one with a stretcher and another with a potential of a long suspension.

Bruins winger Shawn Thornton will have an in-person hearing for his actions on Saturday that led to Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik leaving the ice on a stretcher. The incident happened when Thornton came up skating quickly from center ice, injuring teammate Brad Marchand and grabbing Orpik from behind. He was knocked down backwards before Thornton punched him several times. Orpik was taken off the ice on a stretcher and sent to a hospital. He was eventually released and fly back to Pittsburgh with his teammates.

The grounds being in question here are: 46.2, aggressor and rule 46.15, match penalty.

I'll get to the other suspension coming out of this game in a minute. An in-person hearing means the potential for six or more games, so I don't disagree with that. But this is a garbage play and Thornton knows it himself. You cannot attack a defenseless player because this gets you in worse trouble and the possibly of penalties for game misconduct and unsportsmanlike conduct. I don't respect what he did and I hope he gets a long six or seven-game suspension out of this. Brendan Shanahan has to tell himself that five games will not be enough for this. Attacking a defenseless player should get Thornton a lot more. So the rules would apply to both. I do hope it's not five because this act is certainly deserving of more.

Now let's get to the other suspension, one of less dangerous nature. The Penguins' James Neal faces a Monday phone hearing for striking Brad Marchand with his knee while Marchand was on the ice. That incident preceded Thornton's punch on Orpik. Marchand did remain in the game.

I agree with the hearing type as well. This wasn't as dangerous as what Thornton did, but it was still a bit scary to see him on the ice while Neal was kneeing away at him. Neal has been suspended before, he last in April 2012. I don't know if this fits the 18-month period on the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but if it is, I would expect maybe three to four and if it doesn't, possibly two to three. Again, can't knee anybody when they're down on the ice. Marchand was defenseless, so you have to get some games for attacking a defenseless player. This was less of a dangerous hit, but still, it's considered somewhat of a dirty play, so you have to go if that happens.