The NHL has suspended Montreal Canadiens forward Tom Kostopoulos three games on Monday for a hit on Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Mike Van Ryn on Saturday night.
Kostopoulos knocked Van Ryn into the boards from behind in the first period of the Toronto's 6-3 win. Kostopoulos was given a major penalty for boarding and ejected from the game.
'' First and foremost, I sincerely regret the injuries suffered by
Van Ryn suffered a concussion, a broken nose, a broken bone in his hand and a cut to his forehead. He is expected to miss a month.
The 29-year-old Kostopoulos has only had one previous suspension. He was suspended for one game in November of 2007 for going after Boston Bruins'
Kostopoulos will forfeit almost US$33,000 in salary and will miss games against Ottawa, Boston and Philadelphia.
1 comment:
I gotta say Howie, this guy is taking quite a bit of heat for this hit! Was it a dirty hit? absolutely! There's no question about the severity of it but c'mon his intent wasn't to hit Van Ryn from behind. Kostopulos was just playing the game the way it should be played, he finished his hit just like he was taught to do... It was a fast paced game, he was on the fore-check, finished his hit... hey, the corner is a dangerous place! I definitely think it warrants a suspension but I just don't see it being as dirty as everyone has made it out to be therefore I see 20 games as being a bit excessive.
Post a Comment