The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has taken action following an incident in a recent game between the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators. The NHL DoPS announced that David Perron, a veteran forward, has been offered an in-person hearing. This comes after he delivered a cross-check to Ottawa Senators blueliner Artem Zub.
An in-person hearing is typically offered when the infraction might result in a suspension of six games or more. That indicates the seriousness with which the league is approaching this situation.
The controversial play occurred late in the first period of the game, with Perron responding to an incident that left Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin motionless on the ice. Zub had partially fallen on the prone Larkin and Perron was aiming for retaliation. Larkin had taken a stick hit directly to head and neck and needed help off the ice. He didn’t return to the game.
Perron’s cross-check directly targeted Zub’s head. As bad as Larkin’s incident was, Perron’s was nasty and delivered with intent. He was given a match penalty and kicked out of the game for intent to injure. The officials deemed the act involved a noticeable jump, indicating a clear and purposeful attack to the head area. While the hit to Larkin was bad, Perron’s actions appear to have crossed a line, as reflected in the match penalty.
Perron Stepped Over the Line in Defense of Larkin
The consequences of this incident are expected to impact the Red Wings significantly, as a suspension for Perron seems imminent. Losing an experienced forward who contributed 24 goals and 56 points last season is a setback for Detroit, although the recent acquisition of Patrick Kane may help mitigate the impact.
Assuming a suspension will be more than five games, the Red Wings will have to shuffle things around to manage his absence. The good news is that all tests on Larkin have come back negative so far. It was a scary moment, but he may have avoided serious injury.
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