Bruins Marchand Suspended 5 Games For Vancouver Hit
BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand has been suspended 5 games by the NHL for his hit on Vancouver's Sami Salo on Saturday.
Marchand went down low to avoid a second period hit from Salo, who flipped over the 5-9 winger and suffered a concussion on the play. Marchand, who was assessed a five-minute major for clipping and was ejected for a game misconduct, claims he was trying to protect himself from a potentially dangerous hit from Salo.
Marchand had a hearing with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan Monday afternoon. This is the second suspension of his career, with his first coming last season after elbowing Columbus' R.J. Umberger.
Shanahan explained the reasoning behind the suspension in a video on NHL.com.
"We do not view this play as defensive, or instinctive," says Shanahan. "We believe this was a predatory, low hit delivered by Marchand in order to flip his opponent over him."
