Patrick Kaleta Hit: Kaleta Gets Phone Hearing With The League
Patrick Kaleta could be suspended as much as five games.
The NHL Department Of Player Safety has announced that Patrick Kaleta will receive a phone hearing with the league today at 3 p.m. for his hit from behind on Brad Richards in the New York Rangers' 3-2 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.
Kaleta - a repeat offender known for these types of hits - can be suspended a maximum of five games.
On a personal level I'm not sure what to expect from this hearing. There's no doubt that Kaleta deserves a suspension, but we haven't seen any consistency with these rulings, so as of right now it's a guessing game. Richards, thankfully, wasn't injured on the play in question, but there's no doubt Kaleta hit Richards from behind in a dangerous area of the ice. For those people who think Richards faked being injured, look at the above picture and tell me you would have your bearings right after that hit.
I'm thinking he gets three games, maybe, although obviously I would like to see him get five.
What do you guys think?
