Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron has been suspended six games without pay for delivering a cross-check to the head of Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub on Saturday.
It's the first suspension of the veteran winger's 1,081-game NHL career.
Perron's cross-check to Zub was made in retaliation after Detroit captain Dylan Larkin was left motionless on the ice due to a pair of hits by Senators players. Larkin took an initial hit from Senators forward Mathieu Joseph, with the momentum carrying the Red Wings forward into Ottawa's Parker Kelly.
With Larkin still down, Perron skated toward Zub and raised his stick high on the defenseman.
"The brunt of the impact of this blow is clearly absorbed by Zub's head, due to the actions and choices made by Perron," the NHL's Department of Player Safety said in its suspension ruling, saying it was a play where "significant supplemental discipline is required."
Perron was given a match penalty at 13:50 of the first period. He was offered an in-person hearing by the player safety department on Monday and opted to hold it over Zoom instead.
Joseph and Kelly each received a roughing minor for the hit on Larkin, who was able to get up and head toward the locker room with some assistance. Larkin was placed on injured reserve on Monday with "no timetable" for his return, according to Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde.
"Unfortunate to lose a player of that caliber for an extended period of time," said the coach of Larkin, who is tied for the team lead in scoring with 25 points in 24 games.
The NHL ruled that Perron's cross-check wasn't "a hockey play" but rather an "intentional strike with the stick made with the purpose of exacting retribution on an opponent." Perron took several strides toward Zub and delivered a cross-check not to the defensemen's body but to his head.
The Department of Player Safety said the Red Wings had argued that Perron's cross-check wasn't a direct blow to Zub's head because the defenseman raised his arm as Perron struck him. The NHL disagreed, saying that "at most, Perron's stick makes glancing contact with Zub's shoulder pad" and that "its angle and height isn't affected in any material way."
There are no "heat of the moment" exceptions in player safety rulings. In fact, players are told before the season that their actions won't be excused even if made against an opponent as retribution for an illegal act.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Perron will forfeit $148,437.48. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
Lalonde said after Detroit's 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday night that he didn't have much comment on Perron's suspension but wanted to stick up for his players.
Lalonde said someone pointed out to him a two-game suspension Toronto's Auston Matthews received for a high, forceful cross-check in a game against Buffalo two seasons ago. That was the first career fine or suspension for Matthews.
"Pretty similar for four games' difference in those two [suspensions]," Lalonde said. "David's had a clean sheet for 1,100 games. ... I know he was pretty disappointed, but you've got to trust the process and we'll see where it goes."
Since the suspension is six or more games, Perron can appeal first to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and then, if necessary, appeal again to a neutral arbitrator. The veteran has seven goals and six assists for the Red Wings in 26 games this season.
Perron's agent, Allan Walsh, called the suspension "a farce" in a series of posts on X. "The Dept. of Player Suspensions (a.k.a. the Parros Kangaroo Court) is a media/PR entity that has nothing to do with 'Player Safety'. Baseball bat swing to players head? No hearing. David Perron, 1100 NHL games without suspension. Zub played the next shift," said Walsh, in reference to George Parros, the head of NHL player safety.
"There have been other incidents of players violently cross-checking opposing players in the face. Teeth flying, concussion, blood gushing. Two or three games. Here there was NO INJURY, the concussion spotter didn't even remove the player from the game."
Zub ended up playing 22:31 in the game for Ottawa.
The Department of Player Safety also suspended Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson for one game after he violated the league's aggressor rule during an altercation with Florida Panthers forward Nick Cousins on Sunday. Gudbranson went after Cousins after the Panthers forward checked him into the boards from behind.
Gudbranson received a minor penalty and a 10-minute misconduct for instigating, a major penalty for fighting and a game misconduct. Cousins received a minor penalty for boarding.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.