In Thursday night’s Flortheast Snowbird Atlantic Division matchup between the Bruins and Panthers, Florida forward Jesse Winchester laid out Boston’s Chris Kelly with a wicked elbow to the head.
Somehow, both referees – Ghislain Hebert and Tom Kowal – missed the call. You might get one past those guys, but you can’t outrun the long arm of the Shanaban. The league has suspended Winchester for three games.
He deserved more. No question there was intent to injure. You can’t let a guy off the hook just because his victim was fortunate enough to escape injury. This wasn’t questionable. This was deliberate. Winchester deserved more.
If the league is serious about getting headshots out of the game, they need to show it. Intentional hits that target the head – especially blatant elbows like this one – should receive a much harsher punishment. I’d have given him at least five games.
From the NHL:
Florida Panthers forward Jesse Winchester has been suspended for three games, without pay, for elbowing Boston Bruins forward Chris Kelly during NHL Game No. 230 in Boston on Thursday, November 7, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Winchester will forfeit $9,230.76. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
The incident occurred at 4:52 of the first period. No penalty was assessed on the play.
