Teemu Pulkinnen has been suspended four preseason games for boarding, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Thursday. The Detroit Red Wings forward blindsided Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michael Kostka and sent him into the boards during the first period of Tueday's preseason game in Chicago. Pulkinnen was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct on the play.
Red Wings’ Teemu Pulkkinen suspended 4 preseason games for boarding
Red Wings forward Teemu Pulkkinen has been suspended four preseason games after earning a boarding penalty on his first-ever NHL shift.
Rick Stewart
You can check out the play and an explanation from the league below.
Kostka was forced to leave the game after the hit, though he did not sustain an apparent injury. The fact that Kostka wasn’t hurt may have lessened Pulkinnen’s penalty, as well as the fact that Pulkinnen was playing the first shift of his NHL career and thus has no history of being disciplined by the league.
Pulkinnen was drafted by the Red Wings out of Finland in the fourth round of the 2010 NHL Draft. The 21-year-old is not expected to spend much time playing with the Red Wings this season. According to MLive.com, Pulkinnen is preparing to play his first full season with Detroit's AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins. Pulkinnen appeared in two regular season games and 14 playoff games with the Griffins last season.
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