Breaking: NHL hands out suspension to Sens’ Borowiecki

NHL Player Safety has suspended Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki one game for elbowing Boston Bruins rookie Urho Vaakanainen.

Ottawa’s Mark Borowiecki suspended one game for elbowing Boston’s Urho Vaakanainen.

The 19 year old Vaakanainen did not return to last night's contest after taking a wicked elbow to the face from Borowiecki, an infraction that earned the veteran Sens blue liner a one game ban. In case you missed the elbow... it's ugly.

Check it out:

In their video explanation of the suspension, NHL Player Safety describes the area in front of the net as |an area of near constant battles for defensive players" and that "sticks or gloves may ride up accidentally and make contact with an opponent's head" but that on this play it was clear Borowiecki's actions were intentional. Borowiecki's maintains that he was only trying to defend his goalie's crease and didn't intentionally make contact with Vaakanainen's head, but nevertheless he's still responsible for delivering a blow to the head of an opponent, hence the one game suspension.