Should Justin Abdelkader Receive A Suspension For Hit On Jason Garrison?

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman was forced to leave the game on Saturday, not to return, after being run into the boards by Detroit Red Wings left wing Justin Abdelkader.

The Detroit Red Wings set the tone against the Tampa Bay Lightning early on in the game on Saturday afternoon at the Joe Louis Arena. Unfortunately, they seemed to go about it in the complete wrong way.

Just in case you missed all of the action as it happened live, let us set the stage for you. The Tampa Bay Lightning sent the puck into their defensive zone. Lightning defenseman Jason Garrison chased the puck around the side of the Lightning net as goaltender Ben Bishop looked on ready and waiting.

As Garrison brought the puck around the left hand side of the net (from the goaltender’s perspective) when one of the worst possible things that could have happened actually came into play. As they made the turn around the corner, Garrison attempted to play the puck.

As Garrison made his way towards the back of the net he started to lose his footing. Before he had any opportunity to make a correction and possibly come out of this unscathed, Abdelkader delivered a check from behind that sent Garrison crashing into the boards. It was immediately apparent that something was wrong.

Garrison lay on the ice for quite some time, but after being attended to by Tampa Bay Lightning Head Athletic Trainer Tom Mulligan, Garrison was able to make it to his feet and off of the ice on his own volition. Unfortunately, this would not be a trip back to the Lightning bench, but directly back to the Lightning locker room.

Here is a look at the hit so you can see for yourself.

It would be announced a short time later that Garrison would not return to the game as a result of an Upper Body Injury he sustained as a result of the hit. The question that remains now is whether or not Abdelkader should receive any sort of supplemental discipline from the National Hockey League as a result of the hit?

If you ask us, we feel as if a suspension should be on the way for Abdelkader. This is not the first time that he has found himself in an actionable position for his questionable physical play.

Back in 2013, Abdelkader was suspended for two games as a result of a cheap hit on Anaheim Ducks defenseman Toni Lydman. Then in 2014, Abdelkader would receive a suspension on the international level when he was handed a three game suspension for a questionable hit to the head on Czech center Vladimir Sobotka.

As you can see, this is not the first time that Abdelkader has been involved in a questionable hit, this time it sent someone to the locker room not to return. As you can see in the video above, he had every opportunity to put the breaks on the check, but he chose not to. We don’t believe that he targeted him with the sole intent of injuring Garrison, but at the end of the day this was the result.

We are not the only people who believe that there should be some sort of supplemental discipline coming. After tonight’s 4-0 loss to the Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach shared his feelings on the Garrison/Abdelkader incident.

“Square behind on the numbers in a vulnerable spot. Guys have gotten multiple games for that hit.” Coach Cooper said via Tampa Bay Times writer Joe Smith.

No matter whether you believe that this was an unfortunate accident or whether you believe that Abdelkader is deserving of a multiple game suspension for his actions, all we can do right now is sit back and wait to see what the National Hockey League Department of Player Safety has to say about the matter.

Until then, what are your thoughts on the situation? Do you think Justin Abdelkader as a multiple game suspension coming his way? If so, how many games do you think he should sit as a result of the incident? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Next: Jason Garrison Leaves the Game Against the Detroit Red Wings

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