The Department of Player Safety of the National Hockey League has announced that there will be a hearing for Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle to determine the possibility of a suspension.
In the game where the Canadiens defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 at the Bell Centre on Thursday, a situation arose when Juraj Slafkovsky and Travis Konecny were engaged in a battle along the boards near the benches.
Just like the intensity of the game, the battle by the boards escalated, leading to Guhle’s error.
Despite Guhle being on the bench during the incident, he reached over the boards to slash Konecny, which may explain why you may not recall an incident involving Guhle on the ice.
The light slash might be a common occurrence in the game, happening numerous times each match, but the context is crucial here. The bench area is strictly off-limits for good reasons. Any disturbances from players on the bench could lead to chaos on the ice.
While the consequences of slashing from the bench may not be as harsh as leaving the bench during play, it’s still a violation of the rules that Guhle should have known better to avoid. It seems his emotions got the best of him, and he can use this incident to learn and grow.
Fortunately for Guhle, his past behavior will be taken into account when determining the penalty. Normally, slashing results in a $5,000 fine, but given the circumstances of his bench involvement, he will likely face a suspension for the next Canadiens game or more.
The Montreal Canadiens are scheduled to play against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Center on Saturday night at 7 pm ET.
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