Two players suspended for placing bounty on defenseman’s head in the OHL!
Heavy suspensions, but some are wondering if that’s even enough…
HockeyFeed
On January 18, 17-year-old defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson of the Barrie Colts in the OHL delivered a hard, but legal, hit to Sudbury Wolves forward Nathan Villeneuve. No penalty was called on the play, though Aitcheson had to drop the gloves and fight Villeneuve’s teammate Nolan Collins in an ensuing altercation.
Days later when both clubs faced again, the Colts went on to find out that a bounty was allegedly placed on Aitcheson’s head. Barrie did not dress the young defenseman.
An investigation got underway and on Wednesday, it was announced by the OHL that Villeneuve has been suspended for 15 games and his teammate Evan Konyen for 10 games following allegations of bounties being placed on an opposing player. This is from the league's statement:
“The League’s investigation revealed that Wolves players Nathan Villeneuve and Evan Konyen violated the OHL Social Media Policy in a manner detrimental to the welfare of the League, one that would greatly compromise player safety and the overall integrity of the game.
"As a result of contravening the League’s Social Media Policy, Commissioner David Branch has announced that Wolves player Nathan Villeneuve has been assessed a 15-game suspension, while Wolves player Evan Konyen has been assessed a 10-game suspension, both effective immediately.”
This reminded a lot of hockey fans of one of the famous scenes for the legendary Slap Shot movie. One of the quotes from that sequence is : “I’m placing a personal bounty on the head of Tim McCracken.”
I’m glad the OHL has thoroughly investigated the matter, and have made sure sanctions are in place to protect its players.
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