A pair of NHL players were sent to Principal Shanahan’s office for delivering hits to the head this week.
The league announced Friday that Vancouver defenseman Alex Edler has been suspended three games for an illegal check to the head of San Jose forward Tomas Hertl, and Buffalo’s Patrick Kaleta has been scheduled for a hearing with officials.
Kaleta clipped Columbus’ Jack Johnson with an elbow along the boards Thursday night after the Blue Jackets' alternate captain had released the puck, sparking a fight with Jared Boll, and Edler made contact with the head of Hertl, separating the rookie from his helmet with a hit in front of the Canucks bench. He'll forfeit $182,926 in salary, which goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
Neither act resulted in a penalty, but the fact that both Kaleta and Edler have long track records of misconduct likely played into the NHL’s decision to take a closer look.
Check out both plays in the videos below:
