Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson is none too pleased with the elbow Patrick Kaleta laid on him early in Thursday’s 4-1 win over Buffalo.
“I thought it was blatant,” Johnson told the Columbus Dispatch of the hit, one that went unpenalized but earned Kaleta an in-person disciplinary hearing with the NHL.
The hit in question (at 0:28):
Kaleta is suspended pending his Tuesday hearing with the Department of Player Safety, meaning he’ll miss Saturday’s game against Chicago and Monday’s against Minnesota.
That punishment wasn’t enough for Johnson, though. He went about trying to exact some of his own personal justice late in the game, and got it with a big bodycheck in the third period.
“Yeah, I was looking for him,” Johnson said. “Absolutely. I was going to hit him whether he had the puck or not, to be honest with you.
“If he doesn’t show any respect for us, we’re not going to show any respect for him. It’s a two-way street.”
According to the NHL, Kaleta is facing supplemental discipline for an illegal check to the head. If punished, it’ll be the latest blemish on his lengthy rap sheet: Last season, he was suspended five games for a hit on Brad Richards; in 2011 he received a four-game ban for headbutting Jakub Voracek; and in 2009 he received a two-game suspension for hitting Philly’s Jared Ross.