San Jose Sharks forward Micheal Haley will have a hearing with the department of player safety on Monday for punching Nashville Predators forward Calle Jarnkrok during their game on Saturday night.
The incident occurred with just over seven minutes remaining in the third period with the Predators leading 5-2. Haley took the puck off the sideboards in an attempt to clear it from his own zone. Jarnkrok came up and hit Haley from behind, resulting in Haley immediately chasing down the Nashville forward and connecting the massive blow to his face.
Jarnkrok remained on the ice for a couple of moments, resting on one knee with a bloody face, before leaving the game for the final seven minutes.
Haley was given a match penalty on the play while Jarnkrok received a two-minute minor for boarding.
After the game, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer had his own take on the incident.
“When you run someone from behind in a game like that, you probably deserve to get a punch in the mouth,” he said.
[relatedlinks]