NHL reviewing Belak, Flames-Predators
TSN.ca Staff
3/21/2004
(CP and TSN) - The NHL has scheduled a disicplinary hearing for Monday for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Wade Belak, who struck Colorado's Ossi Vaananen with his stick Saturday night.
Belak was given a five-minute match penalty and ejected from the game. It was assessed for attempting to injure and was to be automatically reviewed by NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell. Belak was jostling with Vaananen in front of the Avalanche net when he whipped around and hit the Colorado defender in the side of the head and neck with his stick.
Vaananen was shaken up on the play but stayed on the Colorado bench during the second period.
"It came out of the blue," Vaananen told the Denver Post. "He hit me in the face. I didn't see it coming, and it got me in the face. I haven't seen a replay, but I don't know where it came from.... It's hard to imagine it came (by) accident, but I haven't seen the tape."
The league is also looking into the game-ending brawl between the Flames and Predators on Saturday. Fines and suspensions may be handed out in the wake of Calgary coach Darryl Sutter's decision to send his tough guys out for a faceoff with three seconds left, which resulted in a line brawl that even involved the goalies.
In criticizing the action by the Flames, Nashville coach Barry Trotz suggested there will be "payback." In light of the Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident, that declaration may also be looked at by the league.
Flames forward Krzysztof Oliwa was assessed an automatic three-game suspension for physical abuse of an official during Saturday night's game-ending altercation. The league is permitted, if it chooses, to increase the number of games, though there has been no indication from the NHL that it will necessarily happen.
Cheers,
Aquaman