NHL Hands Down Punishment To Tony DeAngelo After Spearing Incident
Philadelphia Flyers agitator Tony DeAngelo was caught red-handed spearing Tampa Bay Lightning’s Corey Perry and now he will pay the price.
DeAngelo had a hearing Wednesday with the NHL after he forcefully drove his stick into the groin area of Perry during the third period of the Lighting’s 5-2 win over the Flyers on Tuesday.
The NHL acted swiftly, handing down a two-game suspension to DeAngelo due to his dirty actions. In the video breakdown of the play, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced its reasoning behind the decision.
“What causes this play to rise to the level of a suspension is the premediated nature of the foul against an unsuspecting opponent well after the whistle, the area of the body where the spear was delivered and the force of the blow,” the NHL Department of Player Safety stated.
DeAngelo was the only player penalized in the immediate aftermath of the incident as well. He was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
“I was trying to give him a little shot,” DeAngelo explained to reporters after the game, as transcribed by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Olivia Reiner. “I wasn’t looking for it to go there. He tried to slash my stick out of my hands the second beforehand.”
DeAngelo’s realteration certainly didn’t rise to the appropriate level as he let his frustrations boil over in the moment.
“He talks all game. So, asked him to fight. Doesn’t want to fight,” DeAngelo said. “He’ll tell you that he’s asked me to fight for years. I don’t say no. … The replay probably looks a little worse than it was meant to be, but it is what it is.”
This isn’t the first time DeAngelo has been disciplined by the league office. He received a three-game suspension in 2017 while a member of the Arizona Coyotes when he physically assaulted a referee.
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