According to the Department of Player Safety, Gustav Nyquist has waived his right to an in-person hearing and instead will conduct a phone interview with the NHL on Wednesday afternoon regarding his vicious high stick on the Minnesota Wild’s Jared Spurgeon.
The NHL had offered Nyquist the in-person hearing to plead his case over the incident that occurred on Sunday afternoon. With it, the NHL likely plans to give out at least a six-game suspension to the Detroit forward. The incident has prompted much discussion around hockey about whether prior offenses or injury sustained on the play should figure into the decision. Nyquist has no record of supplementary discipline, and Spurgeon was able to return to the game, but the incident itself is one of the most egregious in recent memory.
As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports, the league retains the right to hand out a six-game ban (or more), despite Nyquist not wishing to appear at the hearing. The Red Wings are set to take on the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night, and most likely will be without Nyquist’s services.
It will be interesting to see how many games he does in fact receive. Duncan Keith was given a six game ban (which included one playoff game) for his high-stick on Charlie Coyle late last season which had many of the same characteristics—including being retaliatory in nature. The longest suspension given out this season for an on-ice incident has been to Radko Gudas for his late, blindside hit on Austin Czarnik. Gudas recieved six games but had a long history with the NHL Department of Player Safety for borderline offenses.
No way that was by accident. Looking right in Spurgeons direction when he went high stick. Probably meant to hit his chest but missed and caught his face.
Clearly it was intended. Nobody is *trying* to gouge an eye out but he came awful darn close.