The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety has announced Montreal Canadiens defenceman Kaiden Guhle will have a hearing to determine whether he will get suspended.
The play took place during the Canadiens’ 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Bell Centre on Thursday, as Juraj Slafkovsky and Travis Konecny were battling along the boards in front of the benches.
Much like the rest of the game, the board battle got a little heated, and that’s when Guhle made his mistake.
If you’re wondering why you don’t remember an incident involving Guhle on the ice, it’s because he was on the bench during the play, but still decided to reach over the boards to slash Konecny.
It’s not a very heavy slash, and players receive that sort of love tap a hundred times per game, but that doesn’t matter in this particular situation. The bench is a no-play zone for a very good reason. If players from both sides started to get involved while sitting on the bench the game would quickly fall apart.
Of course, the punishment for slashing someone from the bench will be less severe than leaving the bench to join the play, but it’s still a play that is clearly against the rules and Guhle knows better. It appears he simply let his emotions boil over and will have to use this situation as a learning opportunity.
The good news for Guhle is that he does not have a long rap sheet, as a player’s history is weighed heavily when considering suspensions. Slashing a player often results in a $5,000 fine, but seeing as Guhle was on the bench the most likely outcome involves him being suspended for the Habs’ next game, or more.
The Montreal Canadiens are set to host the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Center on Saturday night. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.
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