Bruins’ Marchand suspended five games
Posted January 9, 2012 6:30 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand has been suspended five games for his low hit on Vancouver Canucks defenceman Sami Salo.
Marchand was given a game misconduct and a clipping penalty after flipping Salo over during Boston’s 4-3 loss to the Canucks on Saturday in a rematch of last season’s Stanley Cup final.
“You look up and you see a guy who’s 6’4, 6’5 coming in on you,” Marchand told the Boston Globe on Sunday, “your instincts are to protect yourself. Very unfortunate that he was hurt on the play.”
Salo suffered a concussion from the hit and will be out indefinitely, as reported by Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy.
Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault was furious with the Marchand hit and said it’s only a matter of time before someone takes a run at the Bruins forward.
“Marchand — and this is just my feeling — but some day he’s going to get it,” Vigneault said on Sunday. “Some day, someone’s going to say ‘enough is enough’ and they’re going to hurt the kid because he plays to hurt players. And if the league doesn’t care, somebody else will.”
“What Marchand did, you could end a player’s career doing that. I’ve never seen Sami Salo take a run at any player in the NHL. All Sami Salo has done is play the game with integrity,” Vigneault said.
The Bruins forward has been punished by the NHL before. The 23-year old was suspended for two games last March after elbowing Columbus Blue Jackets forward R.J Umberger in the head.
Marchand has 32 points and 75 penalty minutes in 37 games so far this season.
