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Draisaitl fined maximum amount for spear on Tierney
After spearing Chris Tierney in the ‘special purpose’ during Tuesday night’s 7-0 thumping by the San Jose Sharks, Leon Draisaitl escaped the swift arm of NHL justice with only a scuff mark.
Following Draisaitl’s Wednesday hearing with the Department of Player Safety it was decided the Edmonton Oilers forward only required a fine for his participation.
From the NHL:
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl has been fined $2,569.44, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for spearing San Jose Sharks forward Chris Tierney during Game 4 of the teams’ First Round series in San Jose on Tuesday, April 18, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 13:44 of the second period. Draisaitl was assessed a major penalty for spearing and a game misconduct.
The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
In the game itself, Draisaitl was assessed a five minute major and was tossed from what would end up being a dumpster fire for his team.
Draisaitl receiving a fine over a suspension is pretty much expected. This is his first offense for spearing someone in the nether-regions.
The immediate comparisons people are making is to Brad Marchand. Marchand is a serial-spearer. The other comparison is to Sidney Crosby when he gave Ryan O’Reilly’s undercarriage the works. In Marchand’s most recent suspension video, Player Safety gives their assessment of both Marchand and Crosby’s actions.
If you’re mad about the amount of the fine – stop.
As the press release notes, it’s the maximum amount allowed by the CBA. Meaning the NHL and Players’ Association agreed to the fine amount during the last work stoppage. Do you really think the players really care about hitting a fellow player in the wallet when it could be them in the same position one day? It’s pocket change and it’s meant to be that way.
The Oilers and Sharks series is tied at 2-2 as they shift back to Edmonton for Game 5.
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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter!
