Edmonton Oilers forward Adam Erne has been fined $2,018.23 for elbowing Seattle Kraken winger Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Erne delivered a hit on Bellemare in front of the Seattle Bench, extending his elbow up and connecting with the head. Bellemare left the ice but later returned to the game.
The Oilers’ winger was given a minor penalty for an illegal check to the head by referees Dan O’Rourke and Steve Kozari.
Rule 48: Illegal Check to the Head – A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head was the main point of contact and such contact to the head was avoidable is not permitted.
There’s only the option for a minor or a match penalty for an illegal check to the head. Based on the severity of contact, the minor penalty was a reasonable call.
O’Rourke and Kozari could’ve also called elbowing, which is the rule under which Player Safety issued their fine:
Elbowing shall mean the use of an extended elbow in a manner that may or may not cause injury. The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a minor [or major] penalty, based on the degree of violence, to a player guilty of elbowing an opponent. A major penalty must be imposed under this rule for an infraction resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent. When a major penalty is imposed under this rule for an infraction resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct penalty shall also be imposed.
The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent by elbowing.
Erne’s fine is the maximum permitted under the CBA without a formal hearing.
The Edmonton Oilers went on to win the game 4-3 in overtime, thanks to an Evander Kane hat trick. Referees for the game were Dan O’Rourke (#9) and Steve Kozari (#40), with linesmen Caleb Apperson (#77) and Ryan Galloway (#82).
