Golden Knights’ Reaves Suspended One Game For Hit to Head

Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves has been suspended for one game by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for an illegal check to the head on Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte.

The hit took place on Friday night during the elimination Game 7 contest that saw the Canucks ousted from the playoffs and the Golden Knights move on to the Western Conference Finals.

NHL Player Safety posted their findings on social media later Saturday in a decision that isn’t terribly surprising considering the nature of the hit, but the length of the suspension is being debated after the announcement.

Vegas’ Ryan Reaves has been suspended for one playoff game for an Illegal Check to the Head on Vancouver’s Tyler Motte. https://t.co/cHK4FbkvnF

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) September 5, 2020

Reaves was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct and was ejected from the game after the play. He contested the call but most believed it was the right penalty given that as there was no contact with the body, just a direct hit to the head.

Motte left the game in what could have been a serious injury, but wound up returning in the third period. The lack of a serious injury probably factored into the length of the suspension.

Was This Enough?

There will certainly be arguments that the NHL needs to do more beyond a one-game suspension to eliminate clearly dirty hits from the game. There wasn’t much debate that this hit by Reaves wasn’t well beyond the scope of the rules and something the NHL should look at. That he was only assessed one game will have some scratching their heads.

The debate will likely continue. Was this enough to send a message? Or, is one game merely a slap on the wrist that a player like Reaves, who plays on the edge, will ignore?

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