Commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday upheld the six-game suspension assessed to Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron.
Perron was suspended on Dec. 11, two days after cross-checking Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub in the head during the first period of their game in Detroit. The league viewed the hit as a retaliatory move after the Senators’ Mathieu Joseph and Parker Kelly hit Detroit’s Dylan Larkin, leaving the Red Wings’ captain unconscious on the ice.
Bettman heard Perron’s appeal of the suspension on Tuesday.
The NHL deemed that Perron’s cross-check was an “intentional strike with the stick made with the purpose of exacting retribution on an opponent,” rather than “a hockey play.” He was given a match penalty for the incident, which occurred at 13:50 of the first period.
Joseph and Kelly were given minor penalties, and Zub ended up staying in the game. As for Larkin, there is no timetable for his return.
Allan Walsh, Perron’s agent, considered the suspension “a farce,” trying to turn the Department of Player Safety’s attention to his client’s otherwise clean track record. Perron has played in 1,081 career games and has never faced a suspension.
Perron, 35, has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 26 games this season, his 17th in the league. He is eligible to return on Friday in a game versus the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.
–Field Level Media