UPDATE: Corey Perry has been suspended four games for his late hit on Jason Zucker.
"Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Perry will forfeit $115,135.12. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund."
Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry is facing a disciplinary hearing after a blatant head shot Tuesday night on the Minnesota Wild's Jason Zucker. The Ducks won the game 2-1, their fifth win in a row, but will undoubtedly lose Perry to a suspension.
Perry caught a helpless and unsuspecting Zucker with his elbow, snapping his head back and leaving him on the ice for several minutes before he was helped up and off the ice. Zucker left the game and didn't return.
Perry was given a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct.
This is the exact type of hit the NHL is trying to eliminate and Perry now faces a stiff suspension. Exactly how many games will it cost him? I believe it may warrant more than five games. How coul;d it not? What kind of message would that send the rest of the league?
Perry and the Ducks will find out the star forwards fate later today in a conference call with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan.
This is the not the first time Perry has been in this situation. In 2009 he missed four games after for a similar elbowing incident. The timing of this particular incident is interesting in that Perry has been the subject of numerous trade rumors and speculation. This will only continue to keep his name in the news for all the wrong reasons.
It's unfortunate this had to happen now; Perry has been playing some of his best hockey of late. The 27-year-old soon-to-be free-agent has 18 points in his last 13 games, collecting at least one point in 11 of those games.
I will update when a decision has been rendered by Shanahan and the league.
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After last nights win. the Ducks (19-3-3) have won five in a row and lead the Pacific Division by 11 points over the Kings. Anaheim has 41 points and trail the Chicago Blackhawks by just four points with a game in hand.
I am still in awe by how well Anaheim has played this season. What the Ducks are doing is nothing short of amazing and Ryan Getzlaf has played a huge hand in the teams resurrection. The captain already has 10 goals and 31 points. He totaled 11 goals and 57 points in 82 games last season when the Ducks failed to make the playoffs.
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