Donald Brashear Suspended Six Games

[Machinehead2k5]

TORONTO - Washington Capitals forward Donald Brashear has been suspended for a total of six games as a result of two separate incidents -- one prior to and one during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Final series Sunday against the New York Rangers.

Brashear was suspended one game for initiating contact with Rangers forward Colton Orr during the pre-game warm-up. Brashear was suspended for five additional games for a blind-side hit on New York forward Blair Betts at 9:54 of the first period.

"Brashear delivered a shoulder hit to an unsuspecting player," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. "It is also my opinion that the hit was delivered late and targeted the head of his opponent, causing significant injury."

Brashear's suspension will be served beginning tomorrow night when the Capitals meet the Rangers in Game Seven of the series. The suspension will extend through the Capitals' next five 2009 playoff games, the 2009-10 regular season, or both, as circumstances warrant.

[Killah_punk]

Holy **** that is horrible! Dam racist NHL!

[Smerri1029]

My jaw just hit my desk! 6 ****ing games.

****in 'eh. That is absurd.

[DaleHunter32]

wow............... i thought max 3.............but 6, damn

[HardHitt3n]

Originally Posted by Humpzilla

The NHL is reacting worse than the black people at Popeye's Chicken....

brash needs to beat the fock out of campbell. That was a clean hit just late. Theres late hits every game. Jesus christ keep ruining it campbell it will come back to get u soon enough, karma is a b!tch

[bengino]

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Washington forward Donald Brashear has been suspended for six games by the National Hockey League and will miss Tuesday's Game 7 of the Capitals' Eastern Conference Quarterfinal round series against the New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN, RDS) for his action both prior to, and during, Sunday's Game 6.

Brashear was suspended one game for initiating contact with Rangers forward Colton Orr during the pre-game warm-up. Brashear was suspended for five additional games for a blind-side hit on New York forward Blair Betts at 9:54 of the first period.

"Brashear delivered a shoulder hit to an unsuspecting player," NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said. "It is also my opinion that the hit was delivered late and targeted the head of his opponent, causing significant injury."

Brashear's suspension will be served beginning tomorrow night when the Capitals meet the Rangers in Game 7 of the series. The suspension will extend through the Capitals' next five 2009 playoff games, the 2009-10 regular season, or both, as circumstances warrant.


Brashear has played in the last four games against the Rangers. His suspension could pave the way for Capitals' captain Chris Clark to join the lineup for the first time since Jan. 27 at Boston. He has been out since after having wrist surgery. Clark announced prior to Game 1 that team doctors cleared him to play, but coach Bruce Boudreau has yet to insert him into the lineup. Clark said Monday that Boudreau told him to "be ready," but that's what he has been telling him before every game of the series.

"It means the same thing it's always meant," Clark said. "If somebody got hurt, I would be in. I have been waiting for this chance."

Boudreau was non-committal about who would play for Brashear, either Clark or Michael Nylander, who has been a healthy scratch for the last four games.

"We've got a lot of players," Boudreau said. "Donald is a big part of our team, but so is Michael Nylander and Chris Clark and they haven't had a chance to play. We've said all year that if someone is not playing someone has to come in and do just as good a job."

Since it is Brashear leaving the lineup, it would seem appropriate for Boudreau turn to Clark, who plays with a little more of a physical edge to his game than the slick passing Nylander.

"Clarkie is a feisty guy so maybe he'll get in there and fill (Brashear's) spot," Capitals defenseman Mike Green said.

To a man, the Caps do think losing Brashear does hurt their team even though he is averaging only 3:25 of ice time and less than seven shifts per game.

"He's a big part of our team, for sure," Alex Ovechkin said of Brashear. "He's a big guy in our locker room."

"He obviously has a presence on the ice and makes guys look behind them whenever he's out there," Green said. "Not only that, but in the dressing room he's great helping us out. We're all going to have to step up our game and be a little more physical because we're missing that key component with him out."

Contact Dan Rosen at drosen@nhl.com

[PotvinSucks]

Originally Posted by HardHitt3n

brash needs to beat the fock out of campbell. That was a clean hit just late. Theres late hits every game. Jesus christ keep ruining it campbell it will come back to get u soon enough, karma is a b!tch

Betts has a broken orbital bone...how the fukc do you call that a clean hit?

[PotvinSucks]

This thread has already been started in Hockey Related Media.

[Haberdasher]

Originally Posted by PotvinSucks

Betts has a broken orbital bone...how the fukc do you call that a clean hit?

I agree that the hit was dirty and late, but your logic is pretty F'ed.

[PotvinSucks]

Originally Posted by Haberdasher

I agree that the hit was dirty and late, but your logic is pretty F'ed.

WTF are you talking about? How is my logic F'ed if youre calling the hit dirty and late as well?

[Habs # 1]

That hit was clean... nothing wrong with that hit at all.

[hockey doc]

Colin Campbell is a worthless, gutless POS. He didn't have the balls to suspend any Montreal players for all of the BS they were allowed to get away with(eye gouging, etc.) because he would be fired immediately if he did that or else they would burn the city to the ground starting with his office. Brash gets a 2 minute penalty, maybe worth 4 minutes at most and numbnuts suspends him for that. What a foking genius Campbell is. I can't wait to see how Campbell instructed the ref's to officiate game 7.

[Humpzilla]

George Bush and Colon Campbell don't like black people....

[Smerri1029]

Originally Posted by Humpzilla

George Bush and Colon Campbell don't like black people....

Barrack Hussein doesn't like white people.

[stevedepot]

The hit looked no later than the high shove Voros threw on Brashear just prior but this proves that the NHL looks at 2 things before ruling on suspensions:

#1 reputation of person causing the infraction.

#2 resulting injury

I though it was dirty at first when I saw it live but after watching that replay over and over again it looked as if he caught Betts with a shoulder as his arm/elbow made no contact on follow through.

still we can debate this to high hell but 6 games is ridiculous.