The Sharks will be without Ryane Clowe for their next two games, but San Jose is lucky their alternate captain’s punishment wasn’t much more severe.
Clowe was assessed a roughing minor and game misconduct on Friday when he left the bench to accost Chicago’s Andrew Shaw with less than 10 seconds remaining in the Blackhawks’ 2-1 win. He faced a possible 10-game suspension for leaving the bench to start a fight, but NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan determined that Clowe came onto the ice via a legal line change, and that his actions warranted only a two-game absence.
The altercation started when the 30-year-old winger took exception to Shaw’s hit from behind on Joe Pavelski in front of the Sharks bench. The league ruled that since Pavelski was approaching his team’s bench after being sent into the boards, Clowe’s entrance on to the ice was legal.
Clowe has zero goals and six assists in 16 games this season — his eighth in San Jose.
For a deeper look at the league’s reasoning behind the punishment, check out the video below.
Photo via Facebook/San Jose Sharks from B/R
