Explanation why Brad Marchand wasn't suspended for his hit on Andrew Peeke
Brad Marchand has a long history as one of the most hated current plays in the National Hockey League. He also holds the record for the most suspensions in NHL history, and as such people automatically assume that when Marchand is involved in a questionable play, he'll be suspended for it.
This time, however, no supplementary discipline was the right call. The hit in question occurred on Monday night when the Boston Bruins played the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus. Let's take a closer look:
1) Marchand's principal point of contact with jackets defender Andrew Peeke was through his chest, Peeke, only hit his head when he went into the glass.
2) In some cases, launching as Marchand clearly does his is within the NHL rule book, in this case it was needed because of forward momentum, as you can see, one foot was already off the ground and he needed to deliver the hit with a launch, otherwise he would've been at risk of injury himself
And finally, 3) Perhaps the most questionable part of the hit, Marchand ignores the puck to deliver the hit, but again, if the officials deemed it to be a late hit, the only call that should've been made on the play, if any, was interference.
Verdict: Within the confines of the NHL rulebook as it's written today, this was not a suspendable offence.
| POLL | ||
Do you think this was a dirty hit? | ||
| Yes | 144 | 47.1 % |
| No | 148 | 48.4 % |
| Maybe, but no suspension was the right call | 14 | 4.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
