Shea Weber Needs to Be Suspended for Dirty Hit at End of Game on Zetterberg

Shea Weber is going to receive a phone call from the NHL's Department of Player Safety for his actions at the end of the game against Detroit and there is a good chance he will be suspended. There should be no doubt or thought involved because there is something fundamentally wrong with what Weber did as the final seconds ticked down.

"

No place in game for Shea Weber play at buzzer.

— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) April 12, 2012"

"

Shea Weber is going to pay for that hit to the head of Henrik Zetterberg with seconds left. @TheTripleDeac

— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) April 12, 2012"

"

Quick GIF of the Shea Weber brutality. Honestly, the more I see it, the longer the suspension becomes. I mean, from 1 to 2 games.

— Greg Brady (@bradyfan590) April 12, 2012"

What transpired at the end of Nashville's win against the Detroit Red Wings is something that is commonplace within the confounds of a WWE ring. That alone summarizes the physicality of what transpired.

With the clock ticking down and a Nashville victory all but ensured, the puck is tied up against the board and Weber decides to slam Henrik Zetterberg's head "into the turnbuckle."

In this instance Weber, like a WWE goon, sends a shot to the back of Zetterberg's head before ramming him face first into the glass. There is a good chance that Zetterberg could have been severely injured as a result. It is good that Zetterberg wears a visor and it softened the blow.

This is the playoffs and emotions are running rampant but this act is simply inexcusable. These hits and acts are what gives the league a black eye. Hockey is a physical sport but with seconds left in the game, there is no reason why a player should be throwing cheap shots.

This is the case especially considering that Weber is the captain and leader of the Nashville Predators. By all accounts, Weber should have known better and exhibited some restraint.

Not only was the act wrong, there is a good chance that Weber will miss some games and by extension he will have hurt his team. The NHL has a good chance to set the tone on what will and won't be tolerated in the playoffs. While hockey is a game with inherent risks, this is something that needs to be reviewed and used as an example.

If Weber gets off scot-free, then it may as well be open season for all hits in the NHL playoffs.

Tom Urtz is an NHL Featured Columnist.

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