Patrice Cormier, the junior hockey player who sent Mikael Tam into convulsions on the ice, has been suspended indefinitely by the Quebec Major Junior National Hockey League, TSN.ca reports.
Video of the hit shows Cormier coming off the bench and heading directly for Tam, hitting Tam with an elbow to the face and sending him to the ice. Tam had to be rushed to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with brain trauma and had damage to several teeth. Quebec 800, a radio station, reported that Tam was released from the hospital on Monday night.
Tam is a member of the Quebec Ramparts, who are coached by Patrick Roy. Cormier's reaction bothered Roy just as much as the hit itself.
''One thing I didn't like was the way [Cormier] left the ice,'' Roy told TSN. ''He
didn't show that he felt sorry for what he did, he was arguing with the
referee, and when he was asked to leave the ice, he was looking at our
bench. There were a lot of guys crying on the bench and we had about a minute and 28 seconds left in overtime to play. I don't think anybody had their mind [in the game]."
Cormier drew the ire of Swedish fans in an exhibition game before the World Junior Championship, when the Canadian captain threw an elbow into the face of Sweden's Anton Rodin.
Cormier's teammates, however, defended his actions, saying he is not a dirty player.
"I know Patrice personally and he never wants to intentionally hurt anyone," Stefan Della Rovere told TSN. "He's a hard-working player that plays both ends of the ice real well. For him to give cheap shots, I don't think its part of his game."
Cormier, 19, is a New Jersey Devils prospect, and Devils GM Lou Lamoriello said on Monday that he doesn't expect a season-long suspension for Cormier. The full extent of the suspension will be announced "once the disciplinary process has been completed," the report says.
