April 19, 2016
A one-game suspension in the Stanley Cup Playoffs roughly equals two regular season games, which is the punishment Pierre-Edouard Bellemare received for his hit on Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov that has been replayed over and over today.
Bellemare will miss Wednesday night’s Game 4. Here is the Department of Player Safety’s explanation:
After he was ejected from Game 3, Bellemare, someone who has no history of dirty play, received a ton of criticism. On NBC, Jeremy Roenick made his feelings clear:
“This was as close as I have seen to somebody possibly breaking his neck,” Roenick said. “This is totally inexcusable, this is a lack of respect for a player’s safety, it’s a lack of respect for a player in general, and I hope that the National Hockey League suspends him and keeps him out the rest of the playoffs because we cannot have this.”
Bellemare’s suspension wasn’t even close to J.R.’s initial suggestion. Similar to Roenick, former NHL referee Kerry Fraser believes that the suspension formula needs to be changed:
I have written previously that the NHL and NHLPA, led by Stephane Quintal and the Department of Player Safety, must come to a consensus over the summer to revamp the suspension formula that will force players to make proper decisions. Players must also be further educated and know full well the consequences of their actions.
Ron Hextall, admittedly someone with a stake in the decision, had a different take:
Hextall: “If you start looking at one saying you can’t do this, all of a sudden you’ve eliminated forechecking."
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) April 19, 2016
For now, though, Bellemare will only have to sit out Game 4. Depending on the result, his season could have ended on that check.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
