Last night’s 7-6 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning was frustrating in many ways. Among them was wondering what would have happened had the refs done their job correctly and immediately blown the play dead to call a penalty on Tampa’s Mathieu Joseph for a dangerous hit from behind on Dylan Larkin that sent him into the boards.
Perhaps the whistle would have turned off the part of Larkin’s brain that cause him to do this:
As such, the right thing didn’t happen and now Larkin’s getting a call from the league:
Detroit’s Dylan Larkin will have a hearing today for Roughing Tampa Bay’s Mathieu Joseph.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) October 15, 2021
A hearing does not necessarily mean a suspension but that it’s being announced likely means that’s what’s coming. I don’t believe this account tweets out hearings for when fines are levied. That they didn’t mention it’s an in-person hearing offered it does indicate that a suspension for Larkin that would come from this would be fewer than five games.
On a personal fan note, I accept that Larkin can’t be allowed to simply haul off and punch players and that a suspension is reasonable, but I also feel the mishandling of the original non-call as part of what Larkin has come to expect from the refs in this league left him to feel that this was his only recourse to get people to stop cheap-shotting him like this.