The NHL will hold a hearing Tuesday to consider disciplinary action against New Jersey Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer for hitting Florida’s Peter Worrell over the helmet with his stick in a game Sunday night.
Niedermayer said Monday that he should be suspended for the hit, which came with 1 minute 45 seconds to play in the Devils’ 5-2 win over the Panthers.
A melee ensued and Worrell, who did not appear to be hurt, created more controversy. Leaving the ice, he made several throat-slashing gestures toward the Devils’ bench. While the action is banned in the NFL, hockey has not banned it.
The Niedermayer hit comes less than a month after Marty McSorley of Boston was suspended for the season for swatting Donald Brashear of Vancouver across the side of his head with a two-handed swing of his stick. The attack sidelined Brashear for the season with a serious concussion.
Niedermayer, who has never been suspended in eight seasons, received a match penalty for attempting to injure. “It’s ugly,” he said. “It was a mistake. I can’t go and take it back.”
– The Minnesota Wild has met NHL guidelines for expansion clubs by securing 12,000 season tickets. The NHL requires that expansion clubs–Minnesota and Columbus enter the league next season–reach the 12,000 season-ticket-mark by April 15.
