Deryk Engelland of the Pittsburgh Penguins has been suspended for three games without pay today after a hearing conducted by the department of Player Safety. The Vice-President Brendan Shanahan has been laying down the law this season with the amount of suspensions that have already occurred. One of the reasons for this is due to the amount of concussions that have plagued the league as of late. This is understandable as head shots are a huge concern in the league because this is how a lot of players are acquiring such bad concussions.
Engelland is being suspended for three days due to this check being an illegal check to Chicago Blackhawks Marcus Kruger’s head. Head shots are getting so bad in the league that checks to the head are most definitely going to result in a player’s suspension. A current debate in the league is on whether or not head shots will become banned. As of right now they are being deemed “illegal” but that is not stopping players from still performing this offense.
Shanahan explained his reasons for suspending Engelland on account of Engelland’s arm going up during the body check on Kruger which is why this play is being looked at as a head shot. In the replay of this check it is evident that Kruger’s head gets knocked back due to the check. Kruger is also on the injury list now due to the check he received from Engelland as he now is suffering from concussion like symptoms. Shanahan also explained that because Engelland has never made an offense like this before, it is the right idea to suspend him in attempt to make the defensemen realize that these types of plays are very dangerous to other players.
The other suspensions that we have seen so far this season have been only for two games, but since head shots are being taken more serious by the league Engelland is being suspended for an additional game. He also has to forfeit exactly $9189.18 from his payment to be put into the player’s emergency fund.
