The Detroit Red Wings are in a tough spot right now. Injuries are doing the team dirty, leaving them without their two standout centers and their muscle in Klim Kostin. Now, they will also be without David Perron.
A suspension has been handed out in the aftermath of the Detroit Red Wings game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Forward David Perron was handed a six-game suspension for his hit on Senators’ defenseman Artem Zub when he was defenseless in front of the net.
Detroit’s David Perron has been suspended for six games for cross-checking Ottawa’s Artem Zub. https://t.co/6ehi2C4eZD
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) December 12, 2023
Let’s clarify: it was a dirty hit, and the evidence makes it even more apparent that Perron went for the crosscheck and got Zub up high when he was labeled defenseless. This came after Dylan Larkin was lying motionless on the ice after Mathieu Joseph hit him.
Let’s be honest, this was retaliation by Perron, and it was misplaced on Zub. While the Red Wings on the ice were about ready to go with anyone in a white and black jersey, Perron just happened to get to Zub when Joseph laid the cheap shot on Larkin.
Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron has been suspended for six games.
Perron will be away from the team for the next six games, barring any appeal. It’s frustrating that the NHL Player Safety Department, headlined by George Parros, continues to lack consistency in its rulings.
It takes a 10-second search on X (formerly Twitter) to find plenty of other plays that were given less punishment that seems quite worse than the Perron incident. It’s just frustrating for Red Wings fans, but really fans across the league, when their respective team loses a player for a game, two games, or six games to something that may not have deserved that punishment to whatever extent.
Here’s the entire play as it unfolded.
Larkin Injured, Perron Ejected: Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was reportedly knocked unconscious on a hit from Ottawa’s Mathieu Joseph; David Perron was ejected for a retaliatory crosscheck on Artem Zub. https://t.co/9LbYbJDBgy pic.twitter.com/IX0yi6MCcv
— Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) December 10, 2023
It all starts with a scrum in front; that’s where Joseph hits Larkin in the back/side of the head and goes down. After that, Perron realizes what happened and comes back to the scrum, assuming Zub hit him. He lays the crosscheck, and then the frenzy ensues.
Right or wrong, Perron was sticking up for his teammate, and Joseph’s initial hit should certainly be looked at again, too. Joseph gets off scot-free while Perron takes the gate for retaliating. It’s understandable for Perron to get in trouble, but Joseph not getting a review call with the league is surprising.
I don’t want to sit here and cry wolf because Perron is clearly in the wrong. But whether Joseph’s actions are fueled by last year’s punch during the incident with Tampa Bay, it’s not right. The other thing that irks me, as a Red Wings fan and hockey fan, is the continued lack of consistency from Parros and the NHL Player Safety group.
Something’s gotta change. I’m not expecting Perron to be exonerated from his suspension, not even that the Red Wings are owed one, but something has to give.