NHL fines Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj $3,385 for unsportsmanlike conduct

The NHL has fined Montreal Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj $3,385.42 for unsportsmanlike conduct in Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the fine on Sunday, after Xhekaj was assessed 17 minutes in penalties and a game misconduct for going after Toronto’s Cédric Paré in the first period.

The amount is the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement the league has with the players.

The penalties came after Canadiens winger Patrik Laine was injured in a collision with Paré less than four minutes in the game. Laine drove across the Toronto blue line toward Paré and their knees collided, sending the Finnish sniper down in a heap.

No penalty was called on the play.

Less than a minute later, Xhekaj was on the ice and began pursuing Paré to engage him in a fight. When the Toronto forward refused to engage, Xhekaj began punching him in the back of the head as he fell to the ice.

Xhekaj was assessed five minutes for fighting, two minutes for being the instigator, a 10-minute misconduct and a game misconduct.

Paré was not assessed a penalty.

The play drew comparisons to the Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident from 2004. Bertuzzi, seeking retribution from Moore for a hit on Canucks teammate Markus Naslund, attempted to engage Colorado’s Moore in a fight. When Moore would not, Bertuzzi began throwing punches anyway, knocking the Avalanche forward unconscious with a blow to the side of the head. In the ensuing melee, Bertuzzi and several other players wound up on top of Moore, who suffered three fractured vertebrae in his neck, in addition to a concussion and facial lacerations.

Moore never played pro hockey again, while Bertuzzi was eventually charged with assault causing bodily harm. Bertuzzi eventually pled guilty in a plea bargain that provided him with a conditional discharge.

In 2014, an out-of-court settlement was reached in a lawsuit Moore had launched against Bertuzzi. The details of that agreement are confidential. Moore had been asking for $68 million in damages prior to settlement.

from Sportsnet.ca
via i9bet