(UPDATE: Kane has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA.)
San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane was ejected from Tuesday’s 5-2 loss against the Washington Capitals for elbowing Caps defenseman Radko Gudas.
The hit came shortly after Kane scored a goal in what had already clearly been developing into a lopsided win for the Capitals. Gudas clearly seemed disoriented by the hit, as he was helped to the bench by Capitals’ staff.
Both Kane and Gudas have extensive histories of supplemental discipline in the NHL. Most recently, Kane was suspended for three games for abuse of an official heading into the 2019-20 season. Gudas’ most recent suspension came for two games for high-sticking back in February, so both have been suspended during the calendar year.
As you can see, Tom Wilson chirped the Sharks about their lack of a Stanley Cup ring following the Kane hit:
Wilson escorts Kane off the ice pic.twitter.com/pQhSZQM4lA
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) December 4, 2019
Following the game, Capitals head coach Todd Reirden called the hit out, as ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reported.
“It’s a high hit. It’s a reviewable penalty. The league will deal with it from there,” Reirden said. “But it’s the type of stuff we’re working to remove from the game.”
Gudas didn’t return to the game for the Capitals, but considering that it was late in the third period of a game that wasn’t very close, that isn’t all that surprising. Even so, it wouldn’t be surprising if Gudas suffered a longer-lasting injury from that hit.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.