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It’s official: NHL suspends Ducks’ Wisniewski for eight games

By Helene Elliott
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Here’s the official word from the NHL.

TORONTO – Anaheim Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski has been suspended for eight games, without pay, for delivering a hit to the head area of an unsuspecting opponent -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook in NHL Game #1041 Wednesday night, the National Hockey League announced today.

The incident occurred at 2:22 of the second period and resulted in Wisniewski being assessed a minor penalty for charging. Seabrook suffered an injury on the play.

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Wisniewski, who was suspended for two games on October 31, 2009, now is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Accordingly, he forfeits $268,292.72 in salary, based on the number of games in the season (82), rather than the number of days (193). The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

‘Mr. Wisniewski delivered a retaliatory hit to the head of an opponent who never had possession of the puck,’ said Colin Campbell, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. ‘The fact that Mr. Wisniewski is a repeat offender also entered into this decison.’

Wisniewski will be eligible to return April 3 at Los Angeles.

We’ll have more later, including comments from Ducks General Manager Bob Murray.

[Updated 4:30 p.m.: Courtesy of the Ducks, here’s a statement from Wisniewski:

“I am truly sorry that my friend Brent Seabrook was hurt on the play. I certainly wish him the best. I am, however, very disappointed in the length of the suspension. Eight games is incredibly hard to swallow, especially in comparison to other recent hits that have resulted in lesser punishment.”

His reference to other hits undoubtedly refers to the league’s decision not to suspend Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke for a vicious hit that left Boston’s Marc Savard with a concussion March 7.

More later at www.latimes.com/sports]

-- Helene Elliott

Sports Now
Helene Elliott

Helene Elliott was with the Los Angeles Times’ Sports department from 1989 to 2024, first as a staff writer and then, starting in 2006, as a columnist. She became the first female journalist to be honored with a plaque in the Hall of Fame of a major professional sport as the 2005 winner of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Elmer Ferguson Award, awarded to writers “who have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.” A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she has covered 18 Olympics.

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