NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan will have a word with Minnesota Wild forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard today. Bouchard drew the ire of the Columbus Blue Jackets for a “baseball swing” on winger Matt Calvert. Bouchard received a four minute double-minor for high-sticking on a play that left Calvert bleeding.
While the Wild side claims it was an accident, Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel perceived an intent to injure.“It’s definitely an attempt to injure,” Arniel said. “Our whole bench saw it. Their whole bench saw it.
“We want to talk about getting hit from behind and shots to the head, but we allow a guy to stay in the game after taking a baseball swing at a guy’s face? That’s a joke.”
The Wild and Blue Jackets have already been involved in the biggest suspension of the new Shanahan era, as James Wisniewski is still facing a heavy punishment for a dirty hit on Cal Clutterbuck.
If you managed to see the high-stick (video availability is sparse at best), feel free to let us know if it seemed like Bouchard intently struck Calvert.
(H/T to Kukla’s Korner.)
