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NHL hands Daniel Paille a four-game suspension for blindside hit on Ray Sawada

Boston Bruins v Buffalo Sabres - Game Five

of the Buffalo Sabres the Boston Bruins in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at HSBC Arena on April 23, 2010 in Buffalo, New York.

Rick Stewart

The league decided to hand Boston Bruins forward Daniel Paille a four-game suspension for his blindside hit on Dallas Stars winger Ray Sawada. The NHL argues that Paille violated Rule 48, making it the fourth suspension based on players breaking the new rule on head shots from the blindside.

Missing four games without pay will cost Paille $23,118.28 in salary, according to the league.

Former PHT editor Brandon Worley called it one of the “worst hits” of the 2010-11 season. It’s hard to argue that the check was one of the uglier moments in recent weeks, whether Sawada ends up missing any time or not. (For more discussion regarding the hit, click here.)

It’s good that the NHL is cracking down on these hits, but it doesn’t really seem to cut down on dangerous checks like these. Perhaps the league simply needs to make punishments far more harsh? A four-game suspension is regrettable, but maybe the only way to get through to some players is to bump it closer to 10 games.

The bottom line is that something needs to be done about these hits. Check out video footage of the hit below.
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