Anaheim Ducks Fans Should Expect Nate Thompson To Receive A Hefty Suspension Sentence

A high check to the head of Carolina Hurricanes‘ Justin Faulk by Anaheim Ducks center Nate Thompson was another ugly part of the 5-1 Anaheim loss last night. For the hit, Thompson earned himself a game misconduct and a hearing on Monday determining whether or not a suspension is in order. Since the news broke about the hearing, some sports writers and Anaheim Ducks bloggers have suggested Thompson won’t be suspended or suspended for just a game. This thinking is flawed.

These analysts have suggested that, since Nate Thompson is not a dirty player like Raffi Torres, the league will not punish him severely for the illegal hit. They also stated Thompson did not intend to harm Faulk and this will also cause a lenient ruling. I want to state here that they are partially correct, Nate Thompson is not a repeat offender in dirty play, nor do I think he set out to injure Justin Faulk. Where I differ is that I think a precedent was set with the 41 game suspension for serial offender Torres when it comes to dangerous play.

The NHL made an example out of Torres as a warning to all other players that hits to the head will be met with a greater punishment. This does not bode well for Thompson, as the league will likely want to keep its tough policies in tact. Not only do I think Thompson will be suspended, but I think it will be for far more than a game. It could be around five, simply to get the point across that, intentional or not, checks to the head will not be tolerated for the safety of players.

To think we were all getting used to the idea of Nate Thompson being back, what an unfortunate turn of events this is.