Flames’ Tkachuk on hot seat for elbowing Doughty
CALGARY — Matthew Tkachuk is getting a timeout.
The Calgary Flames rookie has been slapped with a two-game suspension for Sunday’s elbow to the face of Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty.
The punishment was announced Monday, shortly after the 19-yearold left winger made his case during a hearing with the NHL’s department of player safety.
“He’s a pretty dirty player, that kid. To be a rookie and play like that is a little surprising,” Doughty told L.A. Kings Insider after Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Flames at the Saddledome. “I don’t know exactly what happened because I got hit in the head, but I thought he elbowed me. Whatever it was, it hurt pretty bad and it’s going to hurt for a little bit.”
Now Tkachuk is taking a hit, too. He’ll sit out the first two stops on Calgary’s three-game road-trip: Tuesday’s meeting with the Washington Capitals and Thursday’s clash against the Nashville Predators. He’ll also forfeit US$10,277 in salary.
The suspension stems from a runin during the final minute of Sunday’s opening period. Tkachuk was waiting for a puck along the end boards in the offensive zone and, as Doughty arrived, popped the reigning Norris Trophy winner with an elbow to the chops.
Doughty was slow to get up and retreated to the locker-room, but was back in business for the start of the second and logged a game-high 28:14 of ice time.
Tkachuk was not penalized for the elbow, but did earn a two-minute roughing penalty — ditto for Kings defenceman Derek Forbort — as the out-of-towners reacted to the hit on their star rearguard. In a post-game scrum, Tkachuk told reporters he was trying to prevent Doughty from slipping past him to swipe the puck.
He was singing a similar tune in Monday’s hearing.
“What elevates this infraction to merit supplemental discipline is the reckless nature with which it was executed and the force with which it was delivered,” said the NHL’s department of player safety in a video explaining the two-game banishment. “Tkachuk sees Doughty coming from the front of the net. With time to perform any number of evasive or defensive manoeuvres, Tkachuk instead takes his bottom hand off of his stick and throws an elbow into Doughty in a way that cannot be considered inadvertent, reflexive or defensive.
“While we understand Tkachuk’s argument that he was attempting to protect the puck and had no intention of striking Doughty in the face, when a player recklessly flares his elbow in such a fashion, he is responsible for the consequences.”
Tkachuk has emerged as a fan favourite in Calgary, but has also made a lot of enemies on the ice with his abrasive style.
In addition to 13 goals and 46 points so far, he has racked up 96 penalty minutes — tops among Flames and the eighth-highest total across the league.
This marks the first time in his brief big-league career that Tkachuk been dinged with a fine or suspension.