The NHL Department of Player Safety handed down their latest punishment on Saturday, suspending Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Clarkson for two games for his hit on St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Sobotka.
Clarkson was assessed a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head in the second period on Thursday when he collided shoulder-first with Sobotka's jaw while the Blues veteran finished a pass.
After meeting with the NHL Saturday, the DPS suspended him on the grounds that Sobotka's head was the main point of contact on the play. It also didn't help that Clarkson has a history. He was suspended for 10 games this season when he left the bench to fight during a preseason game with the Buffalo Sabres.
Here's the NHL's explanation for the suspension.
Clarkson will miss the Maple Leafs games against Chicago on Saturday and Pittsburgh on Monday. Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf just finished his two-game suspension for boarding Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller.
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