Once again the NHL has had a slew of boarding calls to deal with this week, and once again the NHL has been consistently inconsistent with their punishments. Both David Koci and Jarko Ruutu were handed game misconducts for their respective hits this week, both reminiscent of the James Neal hit from last month for which he received a two-game suspension from the NHL. While both hits were similar, the NHL ruled they were not as serious and has merely fined them both.
NHL Fines David Koci and Jarko Ruutu; No Suspensions This Time
↵The NHL can’t claim the punishment’s were less severe because of a lack of injury; both Patrick Kaleta and Mike Green had to be helped off the ice and Green was bleeding from his left eye. Complicating matters further is the fact that both Koci and Ruutu have unsavory reputations; Ruutu is a repeat offender and has been suspended once before, while Koci is known as nothing more than goon (in his NHL debut, Koci amassed 47 PIM while getting into three fights).
↵Ruutu’s hit wasn’t as visually devastating as Koci’s, and some debate whether it was truly a hit from behind. The shoulder to the head didn’t help much. Here’s the video:
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