New Jersey Devils pick Stefan Matteau suspended by own team in QMJHL game (VIDEO)
New Jersey Devils first-round choice Stefan Matteau has only been playing for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for barely a month, but he's already received his second suspension.
Last Saturday, the 18-year-old Matteau received a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for one of the most dangerous plays in hockey, drilling Philippe Archambault in the back while the Chicoutimi Saguenéens defenceman was a foot or two away from the end boards.
Update: The QMJHL suspended Matteau one game. What's notable, though, is the Armada tacked on an extra game by suspending their own player.
The executive director of the Armada, Joel Bouchard, did not hesitate to send a message to his training by adding a match suspension.
For several weeks, the players have frequently fallen into indiscipline. Bouchard would like to see rapid improvement.
This means that the attacker missed appointments against the Shawinigan Cataractes Tuesday night, and the Moncton Wildcats on Friday.
"As an organization, we do not accept this kind of thing. This is unacceptable. We respect the decision of the league and I added a game to Stefan," Bouchard said after meeting with the offending player. (TVA Sports)
It also came in a game where Matteau had already been penalized for a check to the head. He received one-game ban earlier in October for being the aggressor in a fight. How the QMJHL rules on this should be interesting. The Moncton Wildcats' Ivan Barbashev was exonerated after checking from-behind major/game misconduct in a Oct. 10 game vs. Halifax. So far this season, the longest suspensions the league was meted out have been five-game bans, each for checking to the head.
Matteau has helped the Armada start 9-2-0-2, but the team has shown propensity for undisciplined play. This one might cost him.
St. Louis Blues draft choice Ryan Tesink, a 19-year-old Saint John Sea Dogs forward, could also be facing supplementary discipline. Tesink got a match penalty for cross-checking Baie-Comeau's Raphaël Bussières in the face on Saturday.
(Update: Tesink received a two-game ban.)
Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet (videos: Telus, QMJHL).