Report: NHL has surprising stance on Witkowski's suspension

Well this is unexpected.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Report: NHL has surprising stance on Witkowski's suspension
Twitter (Screenshot)

As it is well known, Luke Witkowski was suspended recently for 10 games following an altercation against the Calgary Flames. He had been ejected from the game but some instigating from the Flames bench had him incensed - leading to him getting into a fight.

Such an action results in an automatic 10 game suspension according to the NHL's rulebook, so Witkowski could not appeal the decision. He had to forfeit $85,000 of his $700,000 salary, which is quite the chunk of cash.

Elliotte Friedman revealed on his weekly column "31 Thoughts" that the NHL and NHLPA didn't really want to give him a 10-game suspension, essentially admitting that he didn't deserve such a stiff penalty. But with the rules written the way they are, they had no choice.

Friedman wonders if the NHL will amend the rule in the future to allow for some subjectivity.

Do you think the rule should change?

Source: Sportsnet