Breaking“ Voracek and the NHLPA are fighting his suspension!

It appears that Philadelphia Flyers forward Jakub Voracek intends to fight back against the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety.

According to a breaking news report from Sportsnet's National Hockey League insider Chris Johnston, the National Hockey League Players Association has put in a request for an expedited hearing where they intend to appeal the suspension that was handed down to Voracek on Sunday afternoon. Voracek was of course suspended for what the NHL deemed was an illegal check to the head of New York Islanders veteran defenseman Johnny Boychuk. 

During the game on Saturday night the National Hockey League officials on the ice awarded Voracek a major penalty for his infraction on the ice but it is clear that the league felt that did not warrant a severe enough punishment. In their break down of their decision the NHL explained that three major factors played a role in their decision to hit Voracek with the 2 game suspension.

The first is the distance that both players are from the puck. As you will be able to see on the replay neither Voracek nor Boychuk are ever really in a position to make a play on the puck here, and in fact the NHL admonished Voracek for ignoring the puck entirely on this play.

The second, unsurprisingly, is the fact that the main point of contact on this hit appears to be the head of Johnny Boychuk and with the league cracking down so hard on shots to the head this has become what you expect in these type of incidents. 

Last but not least the league was critical of the force with which Voracek delivered the illegal blow to Boychuk. The league dismissed the excuse that Voracek was merely bracing himself for the impact, pointing out that Voracek cuts sharply into Boychuk's path and delivers the blow with significant force. 

For his part Voracek made headlines on Sunday when he responded to the announcement of his suspension by openly ridiculing the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety. It seems like his allies in the NHLPA agree with the way he has seen things and this could mean a big headache for the NHL. For the Flyers it could mean that Voracek could be back on the ice sooner than expected if things indeed go his way.