Ex-NHL Defenseman Faces Severe Discipline for Intentional Charge on Opposing Goalie
Former NHL player Ben Harpur, who currently plays for the Hartford Wolf Pack recently charged into the opposing team's goaltender, being severely punished for it.
The culture of on-ice retaliation and self-policing has been such a huge part of hockey for so long, that it has become an ingredient for intensity when it's channeled constructively. Things can spiral, though, when players push things too far.
It's just one of those things that have been commonplace in the game for quite some time now.
A recent AHL game between the Hartford Wolf Pack and the Rochester Americans provided a jarring example when former NHL defenseman Ben Harpur went straight at goalie Felix Sandstrom, clearly with intent to hit him.
The aggressive move earned Harpur a five-minute major and a match penalty, leaving fans puzzled as to why he would go after a netminder.
Harpur, the former fourth-round pick of the Senators during the 2013 NHL Draft has nearly 200 games of experience in the league but hasn't been able to hold down a clear spot in the NHL and it's moments like these that explain quite a lot.
His reaction, and lashing out like he did was an amateur Bush League move that could have seriously hurt Sandstrom.
The backstory as to why Ben Harpur did this quickly surfaced, and fans explained that previously, Sandstrom was trying to slide across the crease to block a shot but accidentally tripped Harpur.
Since the play was accidental, the reaction from Harpur was well overboard of what was called for and needlessly put Sandstrom, who had absolutely zero malicious intent in his earlier play, at risk. It's absurd to think a save attempt is an intentional trip.
The match penalty and obvious intent of injury are very present in this case, and a suspension from the AHL will likely be given to Harpur.
If past suspensions for incidents like those are an indication, a three-game ban or more isn't out of the question. It's rightly deserved, as there is no place for this type of incident regardless of how intense a game is.
UPDATE:
New York Rangers Ben Harpur is suspended 4 AHL games for last night's charging incident on G Felix Sandstrom.
