Here’s the list of suspensions for illegal hits through the first month of last season:
Oct. 8: Brad Stuart, San Jose (3 games, illegal check to head) Oct. 10: Alex Edler, Vancouver (3 games, illegal check to the head) Oct. 10: Patrick Kaleta, Buffalo (10 games, illegal check to the head) Oct. 15: Maxim Lapierre, St. Louis (5 games, boarding) Oct. 17: Cody McLeod, Colorado (5 games, boarding) Oct. 19: Michael Grabner, New York Islanders (2 games, illegal check to head) Oct. 20: Ryan Garbutt, Dallas (5 games, charging) Oct. 23: John Scott, Buffalo (7 games, illegal check to the head) Oct. 26: Martin Hanzal, Phoenix (2 games, charging) Oct. 30: Carter Ashton, Toronto (2 games, boarding)
And here’s the list of suspensions for illegal hits through the first month of this season:
Oct. 27: John Moore, New York Rangers (pending, illegal check to head)
So, quite the disparity -- and that disparity is what Brough and I discussed with NBC’s Jenna Corrado in the latest PHT Extra. We also discussed if the trend is sustainable, and if we’re on the verge of an era where illegal checks will become rarer and rarer.
Have a look: