Boston Bruins forward Zac Rinaldo was suspended five games by the NHL Department of Player Safety after hitting Tampa Bay Lightning center Cedric Paquette in the head. The hit against Paquette came Sunday when the Bruins took on the Lightning in Boston, which resulted in a 4-1 loss for the team.
Rinaldo was given a minor penalty by the referees for the hit, which happened in the first period of the game. Paquette went to play the puck next to the boards when Rinaldo came in and checked the forward. Rinaldo went high with his hit and struck Paquette on the right side of his head, which forced Paquette to leave the game at the time (he was eventuality able to return later on).
Rinaldo is considered to be a repeat offender by the league as he has been suspended four different times in his career. The most amount of games he was suspended was eight, which came last season after a hit on Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The pay that Rinaldo would earn during the suspension will go to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
The NHL Department of Player Safety puts out videos after they make rulings for suspensions, which describe the hit and the reason for the suspension. The DoPS said that even though Rinaldo claimed he was attempting to make a legal check and was not head-hunting, Rinaldo did not follow through correctly and struck Paquette in the head.
The Bruins placed Rinaldo on waivers and sent him to their AHL affiliate, but the suspension will still stand if he is brought back to the NHL roster. If the Bruins bring Rinaldo back up, he will have to sit out for five games. The five-game suspension is the most that the league can give out for a player who does not have an in-person hearing for discipline.
This season the NHL has made a point to highlight issues with illegal hits. St. Louis Blues winger Ryan Reaves was recently suspended for three games after his hit against San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Tennyson.
