The NHL Department of Player Safety Has Officially Ruled on Timo Meier's Controversial Crosscheck
Devils' Timo Meier laid quite the dirty crosscheck in last night's game, and now he has just received his punishment from the Department of Player Safety.
New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier has scheduled to have a hearing for cross-checking Nashville Predators rookie Zach L'Heureux in the third period of the Devils' 5-2 win.
The NHL Department of Player Safety has now released its verdict following Meier's hearing.
Meier delivered a cross-check that clearly hit L'Heureux in the face. At the time of the altercation, the Devils led 4-2 and there was no excuse for Meier to hit L'Heureux especially when you're up against a struggling team.
Meier was assessed a cross-checking penalty plus a game misconduct. Before the infraction, Meier had an assist on the Devils' second goal and added five shots on goal before his ejection.
The sequence started with Meier delivering several cross-checks to L'Heureux after the whistle. The first landed to L'Heureux's chest, but the second came squarely to his face.
After a review of the five-minute major penalty, officials judged the play was worth a game misconduct. The cross-check generated a big scrum on the ice, in which L'Heureux seemed to be injured.
He crawled away from the scrum, bleeding from his face, and did not return for the rest of the game. Earlier in the period, L'Heureux scored the Predators' second goal, bringing his season totals to two goals and three assists in 17 games.
There have been several instances in the NHL this year of players having hearings with the Department of Player Safety for questionable plays.
This begs the question as to whether the league is doing enough to ensure the health and safety of all its players on the ice.
Perhaps having more strict punishments will allow players to learn their lesson which can prevent these types of plays from happening so often; you have to deter these incidents, and fast.
Let's hope Timo Meier learns his lesson from this, and we are all hoping for a quick recovery for Zach L'Heureux and that he won't be too seriously injured, and it's awful to see his rookie campaign take such a turn.
