This hit by Tom Kostopoulos is the latest dirty check to cause injury to another player in the NHL. There is no reason for Kostopoulos to hit Maple Leafs defenseman Mike Van Ryn like that. The three game suspension is too light in my opinion.
Hab draws three-game ban, but some Leafs say tougher action needed
Nov 11, 2008 04:30 AM --- Mark Zwolinski
When Montreal's Tom Kostopoulos was suspended three games yesterday for his hit on Maple Leafs defenceman Mike Van Ryn, the reaction from the Toronto camp suggested the time has come for the NHL to crack down on dangerous hits to the head.
"If a guy is vulnerable going into the boards, you have to be aware of that," said Leafs forward Ryan Hollweg, who has been suspended twice this season for hits from behind. "I know what it's like from the other side. It's punishable."
Van Ryn remained in Toronto yesterday while the Leafs left for a three-game western Canadian road trip, still in considerable pain from the devastating hit from behind he took during Saturday's 6-3 win over the Canadiens.
Van Ryn suffered a concussion of as-yet unknown grade, a broken nose, a broken bone in his hand, a gash to the forehead and damage to his teeth and gums.
The NHL, already under pressure to get tough with players who deliver shots from behind, appeared to weigh Van Ryn's injuries heavily when deciding on Kostopoulos's punishment.
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