Nyquist's High-Stick Earns Him Six

This was an ugly incident and I think the NHL Department of Player Safety got this one right.  On the weekend, Detroit Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist was caught being involved in one of the uglier incidents in recent history, fortunate that nothing significant, in terms of an injury, occurred because of it.  Nevertheless, the 27-year old Swede was nabbed for some supplementary discipline, announced on Tuesday, for his high stick to the face of Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon.  On the ice, the play only earned him a 4-minute double minor for high-sticking, but the league thought much more of the incident, handing him a 6-game ban, which began tonight against St. Louis.

Nyquist, a first-time offender in the eyes of the DoPS, was still handed the significant unpaid vacation, due to the nature of the incident, which was scary, no matter which way you cut it.  Thankfully, that's all that Spurgeon had suffered, was a small cut on his left cheek, avoiding serious damage and he was back on the ice in the game with a few repairs.  The video is good reminder of why it is important to have control of your stick and your emotions.

Unfortunately for Stacey M., this is one of her top forwards heading to the press box for an extended period of time, as this is one of her top scorers this season.  Nyquist has 7 goals and 29 points in 56 games this year, 2nd on her team among forwards in scoring.  Her team is off to a good start, with play well under way on Wednesday night, as it has already found 10 points, among the leaders for the Mover & Shaker at this point.  Hard to say as to whether or not her team can keep up the pace, down a key forward, but we'll see.