Mark Fistric will get three games at home to think about leaving his feet to hit Nino Niederreiter.
Brendan Shanahan handed down a three-game suspension to Fistric for his hit that knocked Niederreiter out of the game with a concussion.
The main debate about Fistric’s hit was whether or not he left his feet to deliver the blow, and in Shanahan’s explanation of the suspension he concludes that he does just that. Shanahan also says that Niederreiter’s concussion played into how severely Fistric was punished, as was Fistric’s history in which he’s been fined for previous offenses.
You can debate easily as to whether or not you think Fistric left his feet to make the hit, but the only thing we’re sure of now is that Niklas Kronwall had better be careful when looking to crush an opponent in open ice.
As for Shanahan’s explanation of the hit, here you go: