(Video) Arber Xhekaj likely to face SUSPENSION after HORRIFYING open ice headshot on Tim Stutzle
Was Arber Xhekaj’s hit on Tim Stutzle a form of retaliation or an accident?
Arber Xhekaj hits Tim Stutzle [Image Credit: TSN/X]
Over the years NHL has seen plenty of fights on the ice, but a headshot to date worries everyone as it can potentially harm a player, sometimes even leading to death. A similar incident took place on Tuesday during the game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators.
Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj is likely to get suspended by the NHL for firing an open-ice headshot on Senators forward Tim Stutzle during the mid-period of the game at Bell Center. The initial skirmish started off with Sens Ridly Greig hitting Habs Kirby Dach in an open ice hit in the 1st period.
Dach appeared fine afterward and even returned to the game. However, shortly after the 1st-period fiasco, Xhekaj tracked down Stutzle to answer for the hit on his teammate early on. Now whether it was a retaliation or unintentional is yet to be official.
His hit to Stutzle flopped him on the ice after elbowing him in the head and knocking his helmet off in the process. Stutzle seemed oozy for a while but eventually stood on his feet much to the fans’ relief.
Arber Xhekaj received a major and a game misconduct for this hit on Tim Stützle pic.twitter.com/zWlRtTdGjt
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 2, 2024
The hit appeared to be high and late, and Xhekaj was ejected from the game immediately and assessed with a match penalty. The NHL Department of Player Safety is yet to suspend Xhekaj in this regard, however, they’ll be reviewing the incident to see if additional discipline is warranted.
Just a couple of days back, Arber Xhekaj was on the NHL radar and even got fined for attacking the Toronto Maple Leafs player Cedric Pare after he collided with Canadiens forward Patrik Laine. Later on Tuesday, Tim Stutzle did not return to the lineup and was diagnosed with an upper-body injury.
Canadiens and Senators comment on Arber Xhekaj’s hit and possible suspension
Soon after Montreal Canadiens‘ Arber Xhekaj hit Tim Stutzle on the head, Ottawa Senators Brady Tkachuk jumped on the defenceman, pounding him with hit after hit. They were soon separated by the on-ice officials, and Xhekaj got ejected from the game.
This hit did not sit right with many. Sens coach Travis Green said it is something no one wishes to see, especially in a pre-season game match. Many deemed Xhekaj’s reaction to be a bit over the line and not necessary to get violently physical before the regular season games.
Guys play on edge and there are emotions in the game, but any time you see a blatant elbow to the head, you don’t want to see that.
Travis Green as per Sportsnet.
Canadien defenceman Jayden Struble on the other hand said, “Not saying you should go out and make dirty plays but he’s sticking up for his teammates.” Even team coach Martin St. Louis agreed with the sentiment noting, “it’s a hockey play” and the hit was not intentional to make Stutzle hurt.
Brady Tkachuk (upper body) and Tim Stützle (upper body) will not return tonight.
— Sens Communications (@Media_Sens) October 2, 2024
Brady Tkachuk (haut du corps) et Tim Stützle (haut du corps) ne seront pas de retour au jeu ce soir.
He said since Xhekaj is a big guy, sometimes there are plays where his opponents can get hurt, but it wasn’t the player’s intention. It is left to see whether the NHL will step in or not. If they do, Xhekaj can potentially be suspended for multiple games before the regular season.
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Kaushani Chatterjee
(1939 Articles Published)