David Perron (Photo Credit: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)
Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron faces a six-game suspension without pay following a cross-check to the head of Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub. This marks the first suspension in Perron’s extensive 1,081-game NHL career.
Incident Details
Perron’s cross-check to Zub was a retaliation following hits by Senators players that left Detroit captain Dylan Larkin motionless on the ice. Senators forward Mathieu Joseph initially collided with Larkin, propelling him into Ottawa’s Parker Kelly. Seizing the opportunity with Larkin still down, Perron approached Zub and forcefully raised his stick, targeting the defenseman’s head.
“The brunt of the impact of this blow is clearly absorbed by Zub’s head, due to the actions and choices made by Perron,” the NHL’s Department of Player Safety said in its suspension ruling, saying it was a play where “significant supplemental discipline is required.” Perron received a match penalty at 13:50 of the first period, opting for a Zoom hearing over an in-person session.
Senators Joseph and Kelly each received a minor penalty for their roles in the hits on Larkin. Larkin had to leave the ice with assistance from the medical staff to the locker room. He was placed on injured reserve with no specified timetable for his return, according to Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde,
“Unfortunate to lose a player of that caliber for an extended period of time,” said the coach of Larkin, who is tied for the team lead in scoring with 25 points in 24 games.
NHL’s Ruling and Financial Consequences
The NHL’s ruling declared Perron’s cross-check as an “intentional strike with the stick made to exact retribution on an opponent.” The Red Wings argued that Zub raised his arm, lessening the direct impact on his head. However, the NHL disagreed. They asserted that Perron’s stick made contact with Zub’s shoulder pad and its angle and height were not materially affected.
Before the season, the league informs players that player safety rulings do not excuse actions made in the “heat of the moment.” such action won’t go unpunished. Perron, under the collective bargaining agreement, will forfeit $148,437.48., which will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Response and Appeals
Regarding Perron’s suspension, Lalonde, after Detroit’s 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday night, refrained from extensive comments but expressed his desire to support his players. Lalonde noted a comparison with Toronto’s Auston Matthews, who received a two-game suspension for a similar incident against Buffalo two seasons ago. That was the first career fine or suspension for Matthews.
“Pretty similar for four games’ difference in those two [suspensions],” Lalonde said. “David’s had a clean sheet for 1,100 games. … I know he was pretty disappointed, but you’ve got to trust the process and we’ll see where it goes.”
Perron can appeal first to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and, if necessary, appeal to a neutral arbitrator. The veteran forward has contributed seven goals and six assists to the Red Wings in 26 games this season.
Perron’s agent, Allan Walsh, called the suspension “a farce” in a series of posts on X. “The Dept. of Player Suspensions (a.k.a. the Parros Kangaroo Court) is a media/PR entity that has nothing to do with ‘Player Safety’. Baseball bat swing to players head? No hearing. David Perron, 1100 NHL games without suspension. Zub played the next shift,” said Walsh, about George Parros, the head of NHL player safety.
“There have been other incidents of players violently cross-checking opposing players in the face. Teeth flying, concussion, blood gushing. Two or three games. Here there was NO INJURY, the concussion spotter didn’t even remove the player from the game.”
This report used information from The Associated Press.
