Who knows if Ryan Getzlaf will even represent Team Canada in the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, but if he does, he’ll miss one game of the tournament.
According to Sportsnet, that’s the decision the IIHF disciplinary panel came to after Getzlaf kneed Slovakia’s Juraj Mikus in their Quarterfinals match back in May. Slovakia won that game and eliminated Canada, so there was no need to reach a verdict quickly.
The panel doesn’t think that Getzlaf’s kneeing was intentional, but they ruled that it was still potentially dangerous. Mikus was healthy enough to stay in the tournament and Slovakia ended up winning the silver medal.
Getzlaf has the option to appeal the ruling to the IIHF council.
Of course, we’re sure Getzlaf is hoping to enjoy a long playoff run in 2013, which would prevent him from playing in the next tournament. It’s also worth noting that Getzlaf is currently scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2013 and he might be reluctant to play in the tournament unless he has re-signed before it begins. Otherwise, he will put himself in danger of suffering an injury that could potentially hinder him in his contract negotiations.