Brad Marchand Suspended 5 Games for Cheap Hit on Sami Salo

This suspension comes as no surprise as Brad Marchand submarined Sami Salo with a cheap hit along the boards in a game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Here is the official release.

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 Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand has been suspended for five games and will forfeit $152,439.02 for clipping Vancouver Canucks defenseman Sami Salo during NHL Game #598 in Boston on Saturday, Jan. 7, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

Marchand, who received a two-game suspension in March 2011, is classified as a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Accordingly, he forfeits his salary based on the number of games in the season (82), rather than the number of days (185). The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

The incident occurred at 18:47 of the second period. Marchand received a major penalty for clipping and a game misconduct.

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Allain Vigneault had alot to say about the Marchand hit on Salo.

Vigneault remarked,

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Marchand—and this is just my feeling—but someday he’s going to get it. Someday, someone’s going to say "enough is enough" and they’re going to hurt the kid because he plays to hurt players. And if the league doesn’t care, somebody else will.

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I don't know what to make of the comments as Vigneault was angry at the time, but at the same time Marchand is a player who can get underneath your skin. It is never good though to call out an opposing player or organization.

The Bruins actually shot back with a few comments of their own. Bruins bench boss Claude Julien countered,

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I think it’s pretty hypocritical...everything that’s been going on. It’s unfortunate. Sometimes you have to look in your own backyard.

We all know [Vigneault] has the same type of players on his team. They’ve all done the same thing. You just have to look at [Alex] Burrows putting his blade in [Shawn] Thornton’s throat [prior to Saturday's brawl].

It’s so hypocritical. I guess we’re stupid. We’re idiots and they’re the smartest team in the league. We need to listen to all of the gab that they have to say.

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Even Bruins General Manger Peter Chiarelli responded to the comments of Vigneault. The Bruins architect explained, 

"I think we've learned our lesson over time that that's a real inappropriate comment. That's a real inappropriate comment and it's an unprofessional comment. There's a carryover effect from the playoffs; it's a big game, it's a hyped-up game, and there's a lot of probably pent-up emotion that goes behind that comment. Having said all that, they shouldn't say stuff like that."

Marchand and Chiarelli had a disciplinary hearing via conference call with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan on Monday afternoon.

"It's not normally my style to respond in the media to stuff like that, especially when there's a hearing coming up," Chiarelli said. "I would like to respond in the spirit of protecting our player. The comments made about our player, I don't like that. Brad does play on the edge, but he's no dirtier than two or three of their players."

Regardless, Marchand will hopefully learn from this suspension handed down by the NHL.

Tom Urtz, Jr. is an NHL featured columnist. For NHL news, updates and alerts about players: