Ranking the Dirtiest Plays of the 2014-15 NHL Season so Far

Compared to years past, the first half of Stephane Quintal's inaugural season as the new head of the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety has been a relatively tame introduction to the rigors of administering supplemental discipline to wayward players.

Perhaps the league's emphasis on safer hockey is having an impact. For the most part, players around the league are learning to avoid making dangerous plays that can lead to serious injuries.

The chatter surrounding dirty play ramped up just before the All-Star break when the two biggest suspensions of the year to date were handed out to two perennial offenders: Daniel Carcillo of the Chicago Blackhawks and Zac Rinaldo of the Philadelphia Flyers.

As the stretch run begins and teams jockey for playoff positions, there's a good chance that we'll see more ugliness before the year is out as the stakes get higher and higher.

Here's a look at the dirtiest plays so far in the 2014-15 NHL season.

6. Matt Martin on Keith Ballard: Dec. 9

The Scene: Warning: This video is ugly. At the 8:04 mark of the second period, with the New York Islanders leading the Minnesota Wild 3-0, Minnesota defenseman Keith Ballard releases a pass near the boards in the neutral zone, then gets drilled by Islanders hits leader Matt Martin.

The Impact: Because Ballard turned away from the hit, Martin's elbow "makes contact with Ballard's head," per Adam Proteau of The Hockey News, causing Ballard's head to hit the boards, then the ice. He's ultimately knocked unconscious.

Thirty-two-year-old Ballard was hospitalized with three facial fractures and a concussion, per Michael Russo of the Minnesota Star-Tribune. With a lengthy concussion history, his NHL career is in jeopardy.

The Wild came back in the game after the hit, ultimately winning by a score of 5-4.

The Punishment: There was no penalty on the play.

Though Proteau believed Martin's hit "meets the requirements for an illegal hit to the head as laid out in the NHL rulebook," there was also no suspension.

Russo reported that the Department of Player Safety "felt that when Ballard turned to avoid the hit, he put himself in a vulnerable position and that directly contributed to the incident and subsequent injury."

Player History: Martin leads the NHL in hits through games on Jan. 28, well ahead of teammate Cal Clutterbuck. The 25-year-old Martin served a couple of suspensions early in his career, but he hasn't been disciplined since 2011, which has pulled him out of the "repeat offender" category.

The Verdict: Though Ballard is an injury magnet and Martin's rep is generally that of a clean hitter, this has been one of the ugliest scenes we've seen in the NHL this year. Supplemental discipline could have come into play, even if Ballard's choice to turn contributed to the severity of his injury.

5. Ryan Garbutt on Dustin Byfuglien: Dec. 9

The Scene: At the 13:22 mark of the third period, with the Winnipeg Jets leading the Dallas Stars 5-2, Dallas left winger Ryan Garbutt attempts to get the edge on Winnipeg's Dustin Byfuglien by kicking his feet out from beneath him while racing for a loose puck.

As the video shows, it's Garbutt's second such play of the game. He was also penalized at 13:20 of the second period for tripping goaltender Michael Hutchinson from behind.

The Impact: Both Hutchinson and Byfuglien finished the game, and the Jets maintained their 5-2 lead for the win.

The Punishment: Garbutt received minor penalties on both plays—for goaltender interference on Hutchinson and for tripping on Byfuglien. He was then assessed a three-game suspension.

The NHL's Department of Player Safety emphasized that Garbutt's play on Byfuglien went beyond a typical tripping minor because of the force he simultaneously applied with his upper body, getting the much larger player completely off the ice before he fell. A serious chance of injury exists on this type of play.

Player History: According to the Player Safety video, Garbutt has been suspended twice and fined once before in his four-season NHL career.

The Byfuglien incident generated his second suspension of the year: He served two games for kneeing Taylor Hall of the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 25 just two weeks earlier.

The Verdict: Don't expect to see Garbutt's playing style change any time soon. "I had to scratch and claw to find my way to the NHL and I’m not going to change the way I play," Garbutt told Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News in the wake of his November suspension.

So far, he has been living up to that promise and cementing his reputation as a dirty player.

4. Daniel Carcillo on Mathieu Perreault: Jan. 16

The Scene: With 19:50 gone in the second period, a feisty game that had already seen four fighting majors and 42 minutes in penalties to that point was tied 1-1 when Daniel Carcillo of the Chicago Blackhawks cross-checked a defenseless Mathieu Perreault of the Winnipeg Jets along the boards after the whistle had blown. 

The Impact: Perreault ended up on the bottom of the pile in the ensuing scrum, which could have worsened his injury situation. He returned to the Jets lineup on Jan. 27 after missing two games with an upper-body injury.

The Jets went on to win the game 4-2.

The Punishment: Perreault had been whistled for a slash before he was taken down by Carcillo, who received a cross-checking minor while Mark Scheifele served Perreault's initial penalty.

Carcillo was then suspended for six games by the NHL's Department of Player Safety, who said the hit was "not a hockey play" because it came after the whistle.

Player History: According to the Player Safety video, Carcillo has been suspended or fined 11 times during his nine-season NHL career. He's the poster child for the term "repeat offender."

The Verdict: Carcillo's reputation weighed heavily in earning him the NHL's second-longest suspension of the year to date. The cross-check on Perrrealt, while dirty, was more of a cheap shot than a dangerous play.

3. John Scott on Tim Jackman: Dec. 22

The Scene: At the 8:18 mark of the second period, less than a minute after the Anaheim Ducks took a 1-0 lead over the San Jose Sharks, John Scott spun off the Ducks net and delivered a sidearm punch to the jaw of Anaheim right wing Tim Jackman, knocking him to the ice.

The Impact: Jackman left the game and missed Anaheim's two subsequent contests with an upper-body injury before returning to action on Dec. 31.

Though the Sharks bounced back after the hit to take a 2-1 lead, Anaheim ultimately prevailed with a 3-2 overtime win.

The Punishment: Scott did not receive a penalty on the play. On further review, he was assessed a four-game suspension.

The NHL's Department of Player Safety concedes that Scott was flailing in reaction to being shoved by Jackman but emphasizes that his "premeditated, forceful swing" makes him responsible for the damage it did to his unsuspecting victim.

Player History: According to the Player Safety video, Scott has been suspended twice before, both times during the last 14 months. The suspension for the Jackman hit was his second this season following a two-game punishment for leaving the bench to join a fight back on Oct. 27.

The Verdict: With just 255 NHL games on his resume over seven seasons, Scott is a fringe player whose primary responsibility is to wreak havoc on the ice.

The Jackman incident was impulsive but vicious. It could have caused serious injury.

2. John Moore on Erik Haula: Oct. 29

The Scene: At the 7:12 mark of the second period, with the Minnesota Wild leading the New York Rangers 2-0 and Chris Kreider already banished with a game misconduct for boarding, defenseman John Moore injures Minnesota forward Erik Haula when he drives his shoulder into Haula's head.

The Impact: Haula left the game and missed Minnesota's next two contests with a head injury. The Wild were not able to capitalize on their power play and ultimately lost the game 5-4 to New York.

The Punishment: Moore received a match penalty on the play for a check to the head, which comes with an automatic game misconduct.

The NHL's Department of Player Safety issued an additional five-game suspension, because Moore's main point of contact on the hit was Haula's head and because an injury occurred.

Player History: According to the Player Safety video, Moore was suspended for a similar infraction during the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. That incident, which injured Montreal Canadiens forward Dale Weise, earned him a two-game suspension last May.

The Verdict: Moore's a big, strong young player whose attempts at physical play can sometimes turn sour. The 24-year-old must exercise more care if he doesn't want to develop a reputation as a headhunter.

1. Zac Rinaldo on Kris Letang: Jan. 20

The Scene: At the 15:36 mark of the first period, with the Philadelphia Flyers leading the Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0, Flyers forward Zac Rinaldo drove Penguins defenseman Kris Letang into the boards.

The Impact: Letang left the game and missed the Penguins' next game with a head injury but returned to action on Jan. 27.

A fight-filled game ended with the Flyers picking up 59 minutes in penalties on their way to a 3-2 shootout win.

The Punishment: Rinaldo received a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct on the ice.

Emphasizing that the hit qualified as both charging and boarding, the NHL's Department of Player Safety subsequently suspended him for eight games, the longest suspension of the year to date.

There's strong emphasis that Letang did nothing to make himself vulnerable—the impact of the hit came entirely from Rinaldo's actions.

Player History: According to the Player Safety video, Rinaldo has been suspended twice and fined twice previously during his 201-game NHL career. With just 20 points to go along with his 545 penalty minutes, his purpose on the ice is crystal clear.

The Verdict: Rinaldo's a serial offender who caused further outrage with his postgame comments after the Letang incident. "Yeah, I changed the whole game, man," Rinaldo told reporters. "F---, who knows what the game would have been like if I didn’t do what I did?"

He'll still be a dirty, reckless player when he returns to action after his suspension.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.