Zac Rinaldo suspended 6 games for sucker punching Colorado Avalanche player

Arizona Coyotes forward Zac Rinaldo has been suspended six games by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for a cheap shot on Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard, the league announced Wednesday. It’s his fifth NHL suspension.

Rinaldo’s suspension is the result of sucker punching Girard in the face after the Coyotes’ forward roughed up Nathan MacKinnon on a legal hit. Rinaldo was given a match penalty and the chance for an in-person hearing for his trouble. He declined the in-person hearing in favor of a phone hearing.

The league says in a video explaining the decision that Rinaldo was suspended for punching Girard in the face despite the defenseman giving no indication he wanted to fight. Bolded emphasis is our own.

“After hitting an opposing player who appears to be injured from the check, Rinaldo is now on alert and surveys the ice anticipating a confrontation. Girard skates in Rinaldo’s direction while pursuing the play, and extends his stick outwards towards Rinaldo.

Rinaldo then drops his gloves and delivers a forceful bareknuckle punch to the face of an opponent who had given no indication that he was anticipating a fight or was in any way a willing combatant. This is a punch to an unsuspecting opponent.”

Here’s the full video:

The NHL has a history with disciplining Rinaldo, and his most recent suspension before this one was a five-game ban. As a repeat offender, it’s fair to wonder how many times he can keep getting away with plays like this and stay in the league. In 306 games played in his career, Rinaldo has 687 penalty minutes to his name.