Hoffman to face possible suspension
Forward will have a phone hearing Friday for cross-check on Couture
Mike Hoffman has been called on the carpet and Friday he’ll have to explain his actions to the NHL’s department of player safety.
As the Senators prepare to face the New Jersey Devils Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre, they’ll likely be without their high-scoring winger, who is facing a possible suspension from the department of player safety for his cross-check to the head of San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture Wednesday night.
Hoffman has been summoned to a telephone hearing with NHL disciplinarian Stephane Quintal and his staff Friday morning, which means if he gets a suspension it will be fewer than five games for the incident that occurred in the third period of the club’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Sharks in Ottawa.
Hoffman has no suspension history, but that doesn’t matter because in the league’s view, there might have been intent to injure and Couture didn’t return to the game.
Couture has a concussion history and the Sharks will likely have to recall a forward as they prepare to the face the Montreal Canadiens Saturday at the Bell Centre.
Hoffman was on hand for the club’s annual Christmas visit to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario on Thursday, but he wasn’t ready to discuss the incident with reporters. He was likely reluctant to speak until after a ruling is handed down by the league.
It’s almost a certainty Hoffman is going to get something — a fine is also possible — and many believe he should be subject to more than one game.
NHL on NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, a former league executive and coach, said on his daily hit on TSN 1200 that the suspension should be five games. That likely won’t be the case, but it still could be pretty harsh.
“That’s a major suspension. Once the league endorses something like that (play), you’ve got problems,” McGuire said. “I cannot see him not being suspended for at least five games.
“He’s not a physical player and I think everybody knows that. I was sitting with people who work for teams (Wednesday) night and we were watching that and there wasn’t one person who thought that was good. That was bad.”
McGuire said he felt there was intent to injure on Hoffman’s part.
“It’s predatory,” McGuire said. “He looks, he looks and then he cross-checks and he lets (Couture) have it.”
The Senators can’t really afford to be without Hoffman for an extended period. His nine goals have him tied for second on the team and his 21 points in 30 games ranks third.
That’s a lot of offence missing from one of the top two lines if the NHL throws the book at Hoffman.
The Senators will likely have to recall a forward from Binghamton in time for practice on Friday and if Hoffman gets more than one game, he’ll also miss Sunday’s visit to Brooklyn to face the New York Islanders.
“If it comes down to (a suspension), we’re going to have to deal with it,” captain Erik Karlsson said on Thursday. “It’s something every team goes through whether it’s injuries or circumstances like this. We definitely have the guys to do it so it’s nothing that’s worrying us.”
Karlsson still isn’t happy with San Jose defenceman MarcEdouard Vlasic for his spear and the Senators believe the league needs to take a look at that incident.
“It’s a non-hockey play and it’s intentional and I’m lucky it didn’t hit me in a worse spot,” Karlsson said.
“I’m fine and everything and for that I’m happy, but it shouldn’t happen and it could result in a bad injury.
“The play isn’t there. I’m picking up my stick and he tries to hit on my head and I’m lucky I’m wearing a visor.”
Ottawa alternate captain Dion Phaneuf said he’ll leave it up to the league to decide what to do about Vlasic, but he didn’t like it.
“The league is going to deal with it but (Vlasic’s) well aware what he’s doing when he raises his stick up like that,” Phaneuf said. “I think it’s a violent play and, hopefully, the league deals with it.
“The refs have got a tough job but the bottom line is they’ll review and they’ll see what they see. I think it’s dangerous. (Vlasic) lifts his stick from the ground up and he catches (Karlsson) right in the head. It’s a dangerous play.”
According to CSN San Jose, Vlasic said he was just trying to free his stick from Karlsson’s clutch.
“He grabs my stick, and I’m yanking it from him,” Vlasic told the website.
“Why would you grab my stick? If you’re holding onto my stick, I’m grabbing it from you, and whatever happens ...
“I have no idea what happened. I just pulled it from him and started skating, and I didn’t even know it was Karlsson.”