The Western Hockey League brought the hammer down hard on a pair of players who took egregious penalties in the first round of the playoffs.
Kody McDonald of the Victoria Royals was hit with a six game suspension for his match penalty against the Kamloops Blazers on Mar. 27.
In a video widely viewed on social media, McDonald used his stick to attempt to attack an opposing player around the glass between the benches, striking a member of the Kamloops bench personnel in the process. McDonald was assessed a five-minute match penalty and immediately suspended indefinitely.
“The WHL takes incidents of this nature very seriously,” commented WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. “Actions of this kind are unacceptable to the WHL.”
McDonald has served two games of his suspension and will be eligible to return on Apr. 13 for Game 5, if necessary, of Victoria’s second-round series against the Vancouver Giants.
The news was even more severe for Sean Richards of the Seattle Thunderbirds, as he was hit with an eight-game suspension for a check-from-behind major and game misconduct in the playoff game against the Vancouver Giants, also on Mar. 27.
Richards is a multiple time repeat offender with five other suspensions for check-from-behind, check-to-the-head and boarding penalties dating back to Nov. 19 of the 2017-18 season. He was assessed an eight-game suspension on Dec. 8 of this season for a boarding major that resulted in injury to a Seattle player. Richards was with the Everett Silvertips at the time.
“Player safety is the first priority for the WHL at all times,” commented Robison. “The WHL will continue to take a strong position in dealing with checking-from-behind penalties and players classified as repeat offenders.”
Richards has served two games of his suspension. Having exhausted his WHL eligibility as a 1998-born player, he will be required to serve the remaining six games of his suspension during the 2019-20 season, should he continue his playing career.
