Keith speaks with Shanahan today for head shot on Sedin
Posted March 23, 2012 7:51 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The most powerful hockey mom in the province is angry over the head shot that has taken out Vancouver Canuck Daniel Sedin.
Premier Christy Clark wants the NHL to take action on ‘”nasty” hits like Wednesday’s elbow from Chicago Blackhawk Duncan Keith. That action could come this morning as Keith, who’s from Penticton, goes before NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan.
Although Keith will speak with Shanahan over the phone, the meeting will still be treated as if it they were meeting in-person.
“If you talk to the league on the phone, you’re looking at a suspension of less than five games. When you’re asked to meet them in the Toronto offices, you are looking at a suspension of six or more games,” explains News1130 Sports‘ Rick Dhaliwal.
“Certainly, after reviewing this hit over and over again, it looks like the league wants to nail him pretty good,” he adds.
Why has it taken three days for Keith to appear before Shanahan?
“Well, you want to see how injured the guy that took the elbow to the head is, and the fact Daniel flew to Vancouver and left his team in Dallas shows you that obviously he’s got a concussion and it could be a serious one. So, the league wants to know how injured the player is,” says Dhaliwal.
The Blackhawks don’t play again until Sunday, which also gives the league more time to review the hit and the injury, as well as decide on how to deal with Keith.
As the Canucks continue their road trip, Daniel Sedin is in Vancouver for a medical assessment following the hit from Keith. The team says it’s still unknown how long he will be sidelined but with the playoffs just weeks away, an extended absence could be a big big blow to the team.
