Seattle Kraken’s Yanni Gourde has been suspended for two games for charging Edmonton’s Mattias Ekholm. Kraken fans are not at all happy about the decision, while Oilers fans likely feel this is right call considering it appeared to be Gourde’s intention to run an Oilers player after a frustrating series with Connor McDavid.
The play unfolded after a cross check from McDavid that Gourde didn’t like. When McDavid declined to fight Gourde, the Kraken forward took it out on another player. He went too far, was given a five-minute major and has now been suspended as a result.
Next: Yanni Gourde Has Hearing for Charging Oilers’ Mattias Ekholm
The NHL Department of Player Safety said in their assessing the suspension:
Ekholm arrives first and makes a play on the puck. As he does, Gourde elevates unnecessarily, launching up and into a check that makes significant contact with Ekholm’s head. This is charging. It is important to note that this is not a case of a player elevating slightly as part of a natural hitting motion while delivering a full body check, nor is it a case of a player coming off of the ice after contact because of the force of the collision.
They add, if Gourde wishes to deliver this check legally he must stay low and hit through Ekholm’s shoulder or core rather than elevating upward and into his head.
Gourde has been suspended once during his 510 game NHL career, which factored into the department of fire safety suspending him for two games.
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