Tuesday night saw Boston Bruins forward Taylor Hall do his best WWE impression after taking a hit from Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin. Hall responded to the hit with a sucker punch from behind that connected flush on the Russian defenseman’s jaw before also shoving him to the ice.
Lyubushkin was injured on the play and did not return to the game. Hall was only assessed a minor penalty for roughing and it turns out that those two minutes in the box will be the only time he’ll miss for his actions.
Taylor Hall retaliates from behind against Ilya Lyubushkin
Suspension incoming? 🤔pic.twitter.com/pN3uha9pac
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) March 30, 2022
The NHL Department of Player Safety declined to go any further with supplemental discipline than the maximum fine amount allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. The play in question, as you can see, was retaliation from behind, clearly not a “hockey play”, had the intent to injure, was direct contact to the head, and resulted in the injury of Lyubushkin.
Boston’s Taylor Hall has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Roughing Toronto’s Ilya Lyubushkin.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) March 30, 2022
To make matters worse, the officials on the ice didn’t even get the call correct as NHL rule 46.15 states:
A match penalty shall be assessed to any player who punches an unsuspecting or unwilling opponent (i.e. “sucker punch”) and causes an injury.
A similar play occurred last season in a Detroit Red Wings home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dylan Larkin was driven dangerously into the boards by Mathieu Joseph and responded with a punch of his own.
Larkin received a match penalty for intent to injure and was suspended for one game.
