NHL Department of Player Safety Makes Final Decision on Zachary L'Heureux's Suspension Fate
The NHL Department Of Player Safety released their verdict on Zachary L'Heureux's slew-foot maneuver on Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon.
It was a New Year's Eve tilt between the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators where things heated up when Nashville's Zachary L'Heureux ended up making a decision that could come with big consequences.
While chasing the puck alongside Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon, L'Heureux ended up sliding his foot in between Spurgeon's legs and tripped up the defender, wiping him out against the boards in a very rough looking scene.
Zachary L'Heureux's Fate Decided By NHL Player Safety
Though it looks like a regular trip, there was clearly intent behind trying to upend Spurgeon, and essentially kicking his legs out from under him at full speed is a serious injury waiting to happen.
The NHL were obviously not going to let this one slide and scheduled L'Heureux for a hearing on Thursday afternoon.
The NHL has been busy this season handing out numerous fines and suspensions, while also simultaneously overlooking several incidents that could and should have received punishment.
It didn't stop with L'Heureux either, as the league has decided to suspend the forward for his careless actions.
Known as being a bit of a nuisance on the ice, L'Heureux likes to antagonize his opponents but clearly needs to find a proper way to do so. The fact Spurgeon was badly injured pays no favors to the young forward who isn't a stranger to some pretty heinous incidents.
According to Michael Russo, writer for The Athletic, L'Heureux not only has been suspended nine times already throughout his various tenures, but he also once jabbed a minor with his stick; a startlingly brazen move from the forward.
An excerpt from an article regarding L'Heureux goes into further detail:
The big one came last February, when L'Heureux was suspended 10 games for jamming his stick between glass panes along a player's tunnel and jabbing it in the direction of opposing fans as he left the ice.
He allegedly hit a 16-year-old fan with one of the jabs, though the fan was not injured."
No doubt the NHL took his past into consideration, and the fact Spurgeon has at minimum several weeks on the shelf; it's well deserved. L'Heureux can play hard and even play a little pesky, but there's a line that should not be crossed and the young forward needs to learn that.
