Andrew Ference Suspended One Game For Hit On Grabovzki
BOSTON (CBS) -- The NHL department of player safety has suspended Andrew Ference one game for the hit to the head of Mikhail Grabovski. The hearing took place Thursday afternoon.
The hit on Grabovski took place 13 minutes into the Bruins' 4-1 victory in Game 1. Ference extended his left arm and made direct contact with the face of Grabovski, who appeared to be attempting to work his way around Ference. Referees did not call a penalty on the ice.
Ference and coach Claude Julien didn't comment on the hit after the game, and Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said he'd leave it up to the league office to evaluate whether the hit crossed any lines.
Ference has been suspended before, as he was issued a three-game ban in 2012 for a hit from behind on the Rangers' Ryan McDonagh.
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Defenseman Dougie Hamilton was a healthy scratch for Wednesday's Game 1 and can fill in for Ference. Hamilton had five goals and 11 assists to go with a plus-4 rating in his rookie season, but Julien kept him off the ice for four of the final six regular-season games prior to Wednesday's healthy scratch.
