[UPDATE: White will not be subject to discipline for the hit, per the Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi. Shows what I know. Original post below.]
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The Flyers were put right behind the 8-ball in Sunday night’s game in Detroit against the Red Wings, and unfortunately that as due to a reckless, dangerous hit from one of its forwards.
Just 2:20 into the game, Ryan White launched into the head of Red Wings winger Tomas Jurco after Jurco had taken a shot on net, immediately drawing the ref’s attention and ultimately picking up a match penalty for it.
another angle pic.twitter.com/On7T5tHoa8
— Stephanie (@myregularface) January 18, 2016
While there was no official designation from the referees other than “match penalty”, there’s a lot that can potentially be seen as wrong here, but two things stick out. First, the hit was arguably late, as Jurco was well past having shot the puck, so you could call it interference. And then, of course, White’s shoulder drove up straight into Jurco’s head, making this an illegal check to the head. It’s an ugly hit, plain and simple, and it’s a deserved ejection for the energy forward.
With a match penalty having been called, White’s actions are automatically subject to review from the Department of Player Safety. While Jurco has since returned to the game, ruling out the prospect of injury adding to a suspension length, White has been suspended before. You may remember him as a Montreal Canadien launching an illegal check to the head of Flyers defenseman Kent Huskins that got him suspended for five games. So all in all it would not be surprising to see the Flyers be without the fourth-line forward for a few games, meaning the Jordan Weal era may soon be upon us.
The Flyers killed off the ensuing five-minute penalty and currently are in a scoreless tie late in the first period.
