Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri deserves a hefty suspension for his board-shattering hit to the head of defenseless Boston Bruins center Tommy Wingels during the teams’ Game 1 matchup in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But let’s hope he’s not forced to sit out too long, as no punishment the league could hand down to Kadri would be quite as just as the pain 6’9″ Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara can dole out.
With his team down 4-1 and under 12 minutes remaining, Kadri saw a felled Wingels and smashed the 30-year-old’s head between the boards and his hip.
Chara immediately let Kadri know what’s coming for him if he makes it back onto the ice in the first round.
Nazem Kadri. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Awful, awful, AWFUL decision to make a dangerous run at Tommy Wingels while he’s on his knees.
Despicable. pic.twitter.com/4rVfyC2zzY
— NHL Daily 365 (@NHLDaily365) April 13, 2018
Here’s another another angle, in slow motion.
Nazem Kadri back to the penalty box for this hit on Tommy Wingels. This one is definitely bad, possibly even supplemental bad. pic.twitter.com/tZ3HI1SBNY
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) April 13, 2018
And here’s Chara explaining what he’s going to do to Kadri next time he sees him.
Chara’s reaction to Kadri hit on Wingels might be scariest thing I’ve seen all year pic.twitter.com/e5Wf4gyJEx
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 13, 2018
Kadri was ejected. He’ll have a hearing with the league’s Department of Player Safety, which has already doled out a one-game suspension for a hit to the head this postseason, for Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty’s hit on the Vegas Golden Knights’ William Carrier.
But that was Doughty’s first ever suspension; Kadri has been banned for a total of 11 games for three separate violent on-ice infractions over the past five years, so he should expect to sit out more than one contest.
In the meantime, this video will be playing in Kadri’s nightmares.