Dan Carcillo Suspended Two Games For Hit On Joni Pitkanen

It’s not like you just wake up in the morning and suddenly have a bad reputation. For professional hockey player Dan Carcillo, his reputation was pressed into metal by a lot of hard, hard work.

Things like racking up 324 penalty minutes in 54 games during the 2007-08 season with Phoenix. Or 311 penalty minutes in 51 games in the AHL in 2005-06. And sucker punching people in the face or cross-checking people in the face.

The NHL places the blame on Carcillo for what they call a reckless hit from behind on Pitkanen, one that caused the Carolina defenseman to lose his balance and tumble towards the boards. Carcillo apparently claimed that he’s never been suspended for such a hit in the past, but the NHL isn’t dumb.

Carcillo has a lengthy history of suspensions and fines, and just because he’s never been reckless in this way before doesn’t mean he’s never been reckless at all. That certainly played into the decision.

Now, seven games into his Blackhawks career, Carcillo is on the verge of yet another suspension. There’s no video of the incident, but here are a few still images of the hit, before and during.

Pitkanen was off balance and Carcillo gave him a very distinct shove from behind. The aftermath was a nasty Pitkanen tumble into the end boards. Fortunately, he was fine.