John Scott has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL for his illegal hit to the head on Boston Bruins forward Loui Eriksson from Wednesday’s game in Buffalo, and now he will meet with the league’s Department of Player Safety for an in-person hearing.
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John Shannon of Sportsnet has reported that the hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET on Thursday. Scott will already have missed three games due to suspension by the time he meets with the league in New York.
When players are given an in-person hearing, they are able to be suspended for more than five games, and given the nature of this terrible hit that the NHL is trying to eliminate from the game, it wouldn’t be surprising if Scott is given a ban that totals six or more games.
Working in Scott’s favor, however, is that he is not a repeat offender under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement because he has not been suspended in the last 18 months. He escaped discipline during the preseason after an incident in which he tried to fight Toronto Maple Leafs winger Phil Kessel.
Including the preseason, the NHL has suspended 14 players in 2013-14, including six for an illegal hit to the head (excluding Scott).
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