With David Perron set to return to the Detroit Red Wings lineup, the appeal of his six-game suspension has received an official ruling from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
Bettman Rules on Perron's Six-game Suspension
Perron received his suspension for this crosscheck on Artem Zub of the Ottawa Senators. It got him booted from the game.
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Perron appealed, calling the suspension excessive for a player with no prior history. As the rules state, Bettman himself makes the decision on the appeal, and he released his decision today.
"The National Hockey League Players' Association ("NHLPA"), on behalf of David Perron, has appealed from a December 11, 2023, supplementary discipline decision suspending Mr. Perron for six (6) games. This shall constitute my determination of Mr. Perron's appeal. For the reasons described herein, I find that the decision suspending Mr. Perron for six (6) games was supported by clear and convincing evidence and is, therefore, affirmed."
Perron Receives Commissioner's Ruling on his Appeal
In non-legalese, Bettman upheld the suspension. He went on to say Perron's actions were no accident.
"There is no question (and no dispute) that Mr. Perron's conduct involved a serious crosschecking infraction in violation of League Playing Rules. Based on my review of the video, I find that Mr. Perron's actions were not merely careless or reckless, they were intentional. Mr.Perron skated deliberately and aggressively toward Mr. Zub after play was stopped."
Perron can ask for a third-party to rule on his appeal if he wants. Many may wonder why it matters considering he's already served the suspension in full. It matters because getting the number of games reduced means not losing as much salary.
Do you agree with Bettman's ruling?
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