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Patric Hornqvist receives $2,500 fine but no suspension for hit on Tyler Seguin

Nashville Predators v Los Angeles Kings

Nashville Predators v Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center on January 6, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Harry How

On a week in which NHL GMs were discussing how to police hits to the head, the league is still dealing with a lot of uncertainty related to suspensions and fines.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that Mike Murphy made the wrong choice when he decided to fine, but not suspend Patric Hornqvist for his hot on Tyler Seguin. The Nashville Predators forward will pay a $2,500 fine for that elbow on Seguin.

This isn’t the first time that a disciplinary hearing resulted in no suspension, as Zdeno Chara went through the same procedure without a suspension or a fine after speaking with Murphy. (Quick aside: considering the fact that Colin Campbell’s right hand man hasn’t been very prone to handing out suspensions lately, does this mean that Campbell is the warm and cuddly one?)

For his part, Seguin didn’t really blow the whistle on Hornqvist. He did, however, have an amusing anecdote after the hit (via TSN).

Seguin suffered damage to his ear lobe but returned to the game after having stitches to repair the injury.

“I came in the room and (the doctor) just said, ‘Nice ear lobe, it’s kind of falling off,’?” Seguin told the Boston Herald. “And I said, ‘Oh, that’s pretty cool.’?”

One thing that wasn’t really addressed during the GM meetings is the need for greater transparency when it comes to the decision making process. It’s not necessarily that the league makes the right or wrong choices, it’s just that there’s no clear logic to any of these decisions. Sometimes it seems like Murphy and Campbell just play pin the tail on the punishment donkey.