THE CANADIAN PRESS
NEW YORK — The National Hockey League reinstated Mark Bell on Tuesday, but the Maple Leaf forward still has a suspension to serve before he can resume playing.
Bell was suspended indefinitely Sept. 4 and placed into Stage 2 of the league’s substance abuse program. He had been in Stage 1 of the program since September 2006, when he was arrested on drunk driving and hit and run charges in California.
The NHL added a 15-game suspension for Bell on Sept. 12. He is eligible to return to action Nov. 6 against the visiting Ottawa Senators.
Bell pleaded no contest to his criminal charges and is due to serve six months in a California county jail at the end of the season. The 27-year-old native of St. Paul’s, Ont., has said he hasn’t had a drink since the incident.
Bell was arrested after his car rear-ended a pickup truck in an early morning accident in Milpitas, Calif., a town in the San Jose foothills. The driver of the truck received head injuries and cuts.
The Maple Leafs acquired Bell in June along with goaltender Vesa Toskala in a trade with the San Jose Sharks. Bell had 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points in 71 regular-season games last season.
In 410 career regular-season games, he has 172 points (83-89) and 537 penalty minutes. Bell, a former standout with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League, was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks with the eighth overall pick in the 1998 NHL entry draft.
