In a major blow to the St Louis. Blues, their forward Kasperi Kapanen has been penalized with a huge fine. The Finland international has been found guilty on the charges of aggravated drunk driving from August 2023.
The 27-year-old has now been ordered to pay a fine of $117,000. According to reports from Finland, Kapanen was heavily under the influence while he was driving around in his home country.
The prosecutors in this case were originally seeking a 45-day prison sentence for the player. However, the court later settled for a fine for the charges against him.
As per the police reports, the NHLer was pulled over from his car while he was making his way towards his home from the airport. He was said to be going at 67 km/h in a 50 km/h lane. This led to him being pulled over.
He would later fail the sobriety test. During the interrogation, Kapanen admitted to consuming alcohol at a party before boarding the plane. He further claimed that he was celebrating his birthday.
Following this charges against him, the forward shared a message with the team and condemned his actions.
Last month, I made a mistake that cannot be accepted, and I take full responsibility for my actions. I apologize to my family, the Blues organization, my teammates and the fans. I understand the seriousness of my act and I will do everything to earn my trust back. Kasperi Kapanen said in a statement as per NHL.com.
Kasperi Kapanen continues to be sidelined with lower body injury
As the NHL 2023-24 season rolls on, Kasperi Kapanen continues to be sidelined with a lower body injury. The St. Louis Blues forward suffered a huge knock on his back during January and continues to feel the effect of it.
He suffered this injury while trying to block a shot from Philadelphia Flyers‘ Nick Steeler during the third period. He would crouch down for a bit but finished off the game while soldiering on from this injury. Following this, he was placed on the injured reserve list and was said to be evaluated in three to four weeks time.
Despite this injury, the forward has continued to struggle with form. This season he has managed to pick up just 13 points (nine goals, four assists) from his 42 appearances. This decline in performance has become a major concern for the Blues.
It will be now be interesting to see how he performs on his return. Speaking of his team, the Blues are currently fourth in the Central Division rankings, 11 points behind the Winnipeg Jets in third place while playing the same amount of games. They will need a huge improvement going forward if they were to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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