The NHL has suspended philadelphia flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo for two games after he was ejected from a game earlier this week for throwing a spear into the groin at Tampa Bay Lightning forward Corey Perry.
DeAngelo will miss Thursday night’s game against his former team, the carolina Hurricanes, and Saturday’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins after the NHL’s Department of Player Safety discovered during a hearing Wednesday that he intentionally impaled Perry with his hockey stick, long after the whistle blew.
Tony DeAngelo during the game between the Lightning and the Philadelphia Flyers on March 7, 2023 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. (Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
«As the goaltender freezes the puck for a whistle, Perry slices DeAngelo’s stick as it passes through the front of the net,» the league said in a video explanation of the decision.
FLYERS’ TONY DEANGELO SENT OFF FOR LAUNCHING LIGHTNING’S COREY PERRY IN THE GROIN, TO FACE DISCIPLINARY HEARING
«Long after the whistle blows, DeAngelo circles toward Perry, pulls back on his cane, and rams the tip of his cane blade into Perry’s groin with a stabbing motion, causing him to fall to the ice.»
«What brings this play up to the level of a suspension is the premeditated nature of the foul against another unsuspecting opponent long after the whistle, the area of the body where the spear was delivered, and the force of the blow.»
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo looks to pass against the Lightning on March 7, 2023 at Amalie Arena in Tampa. (Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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DeAngelo was assessed for misconduct greater than 5 minutes and in the game Tuesday night, leading to his ejection.
«He tried to cut my club out of my hands a second early. He talks the whole game,» DeAngelo said after the game.
«I asked him to fight, he doesn’t want to fight. He’ll tell you he asked me to fight for years. I’m not saying no. But I wasn’t trying to give him a chance.» [where it landed]. The replay probably looks worse.»
Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo and Lightning left end Brandon Hagel battle at Amalie Arena in Tampa on March 7, 2023. (Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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previous New York Rangers, who agreed to a two-year, $10 million contract with the Flyers after being traded in the offseason, will also lose more than $54,000 of his salary.