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Leafs Mike Brown suspended three games for head shot on Ed Jovanovski

Dan Ellis, Mike Brown, Victor Hedman

Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Mike Brown (18) attempts to tip a shot past Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Dan Ellis (33) as Lightning’s Victor Hedman (77), of Sweden, defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

AP

Maple Leafs forward Mike Brown made a big impression in his first game back after injury. He assisted on the Leafs only goal of the game in a 5-1 loss to Phoenix and managed to draw the attention of the NHL’s front office after a questionable hit on Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski.

Brown’s head shot on Jovanovski has earned him a three-game suspension from the NHL for violating Rule 48. Brown’s play on the ice is always physical with an edge and this hit certainly qualifies as such as he cut in front of Jovanovski and caught him with the back of his elbow right in the face. You can see video of the hit on YouTube here.

Losing Brown from the lineup won’t be too painful for Toronto seeing as how they’ve been playing without him since late November as it is. The question some fans are raising here is about whether or not this is Rule 48 run amok. In this case, Brown cut in front of Jovanovski without him knowing he was there and caught him up high with a blow to the head. It’s a cut and dry violation of the new rule and the exact sort of thing the league wants out of the game. If there are fans that wish to keep this sort of thing in the game, a new set of priorities might be in order.