After elbowing Michal Kempny in the head during a preseason game on Tuesday, Robert Bortuzzo has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason and one regular season game. This is the second suspension of the preseason, but the first to extend into the regular season.
Kempny did not finish Tuesday’s game and has since been ruled as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The NHL explains the suspension below.
This hit did not attract the attention of the NHL until the afternoon after the game. Bortuzzo’s hearing was two days after the hit occurred.
The hit on Kempny is high, illegal, and late. Kempny had passed the puck before Bortuzzo initiated the hit.
Bortuzzo has been suspended before, but according to NHL rules he is not a repeat offender. His last suspension came in 2014 for a hit to Jaromir Jagr, but to be a repeat offender the incident has to occur in the last 18 months. He was also fined the maximum possible for a cross-check in March 2018.
Montreal Canadiens Max Domi had a hearing on September 19 after punching Aaron Ekblad. He was suspended for the remainder of the preseason.
More from the NHL:
St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason and one regular-season game, without pay, for elbowing Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny during NHL Preseason Game No. 73 in St. Louis on Tuesday, Sept. 25, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 0:45 of the third period.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Bortuzzo will forfeit $6,182.80. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
