The Chicago Blackhawks won (again) Tuesday night, this time against the Vancouver Canucks, but it wasn’t without seeing one of their best players go down after a scary hit (again).
Vancouver forward Jannik Hansen delivered a high elbow to Chicago’s Marian Hossa in the third period of the Blackhawks’ 4-3 win Tuesday, and it will reportedly earn Hansen a hearing with the NHL. According to multiple reports, Hansen will have an afternoon hearing Wednesday with the league. It’s reportedly a phone hearing, which means the longest suspension Hansen could be handed is a five-game ban.
Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville said after the game that Hossa was “OK,” and that the team would know more Wednesday. The playmaking forward does have a concussion history. He was the recipient of a dirty hit from Phoenix forward Raffi Torres during last year’s playoffs. Hossa didn’t play the rest of the playoffs following the hit, while Torres was suspended 21 games for his actions.
Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault said after the game that he thought there was “no chance” Hansen would receive any sort of supplementary discipline.
“It wasn’t even a penalty,” he said, according to the Chicago Sun-Tribune. “Both referees looked at the play, and until [Jonathan] Toews went out to talk to them it wasn’t even a penalty. … He’s trying to grab a puck in the air. It’s unfortunate if a young man is hurt. He’s trying to jump to get the puck. Stuff happens.”
See the hit in the video below.
