Yakov Trenin ejected for sucker punch on Derek Forbort
A brutal sucker punch leads to an ejection and a suspension could soon follow.
This one was ugly.
On Saturday night, the Vancouver Canucks clashed with the Minnesota Wild in what was a big game for a Wild team trying desperately to stay alive in the playoff hunt. While the Canucks didn't have anything left to play for, other than personal pride, they gave the Wild all they could handle in the early moments of this game.
In the opening minutes of the third period it was a one goal game, with the Canucks in the lead, and tensions would boil over after Wild forward Yakov Trenin delivered what may have been a late hit to the Canucks captain, defenseman Quinn Hughes. Hughes didn't appear injured on the play but it was enough to draw the ire of veteran Canucks defenseman Derek Forbort who quickly challenged Trenin to drop the gloves.
The two men would do just that and it looked like Forbort was in full control of this one, dragging Trenin around like a child with one hand as he threw punches with the other, resulting in the two men falling to the ice after a brief exchange. Two of the National Hockey League's officials on the ice would jump in to seperate the fight, but it was at that moment that Trenin would do something I suspect he is going to live to regret.
With the official holding Forbort down on the ice, Trenin would deliver a vicious sucker punch to the head of the now defenseless Forbort, clearly injuring him in the process. After a brief review, the officials on the ice made the decision to eject Trenin from the game entirely.
While Trenin was tossed I suspect this won't be the end of his troubles, as an injury of this kind this late into the regular season will surely draw the attention of the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety. This is something the league does not want to see happen on the ice, and I would not be surprised if they look to set an example by suspending Trenin for his actions on Saturday night.
Does this warrant a suspension? And if so how many games should Trenin receive? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
