The NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Calgary Flames winger Milan Lucic has been suspended for two games. This is his fourth career suspension.
Calgary’s Milan Lucic has been suspended for two games for Roughing Columbus’ Kole Sherwood. https://t.co/YdDBRI4y4s
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) November 3, 2019
Milan Lucic Suspended
Lucic has been suspended for four games for an incident with Columbus Blue Jackets Kole Sherwood. Lucic landed a punch to an unsuspecting Kole Sherwood after the whistle with 15:08 remaining in the third period. He was assessed two minor penalties for roughing on the play and a game misconduct.
So far this season, Lucic has three assists for three points in 16 games. He also added 30 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 51.9 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of +0.1.
Over his 13-year NHL career, Lucic has played for the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, and Calgary Flames. He has put up 198 goals and 306 assists for 504 career points in 906 career games. He was originally drafted in the second round, 50th overall of the 2006 NHL Draft by the Bruins.
“What causes this play to rise to the level of a suspension is Lucic’s recent and relevant history of similar punches,” says the Department of Player Safety announcement. “Since January of 2016, Lucic has been fined once and suspended once for punches to the face of unwilling opponents.”
What This Means for the Future
Lucic has had a reputation for being a physical player throughout his career. He hasn’t seemed to find his groove yet in Calgary after being traded to the Flames from the Edmonton Oilers for James Neal. Lucic is also coming off a career-low year last season where he put up six goals and 14 assists for 20 points in 79 games. The Flames will hope that Lucic can start contributing a little bit offensively once he returns from his suspension.
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