Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher officially has a date with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
The NHL confirmed a phone hearing with Gallagher, who during the third period of the Canadiens’ game against the New York Islanders on Thrsday, inflicted a hit to the head of defenceman Adam Pelech.
Since the hearing is not in person, Gallagher can only be suspended a maximum of five games.
Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher will have a hearing today for an illegal check to the head on NY Islanders’ Adam Pelech.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 26, 2024
Leading with his elbow, Gallagher skated in from the neutral zone and clipped Pelech directly in the head as he was carrying the puck.
Unsurprisingly, he was handed a five-minute major penalty on the play and ejected from the rest of the game.
Brendan Gallagher receives a five-minute major and game misconduct for an illegal check to the head on Adam Pelech. pic.twitter.com/k3NKyZqanh
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 26, 2024
With both Canadiens and Islanders fans agreeing that the hit is suspension-worthy, it’s highly likely that Gallagher misses multiple games and is fined the maximum amount for his illegal check.
Gallagher, 31, has no past history of suspensions at the NHL level. Over 12 professional seasons, the only time he faced any disciplinary action was when he was fined $2,500 for sucker punching New York Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow in a November 2021 game.
Over 46 games this season, the Edmonton native has netted eight goals and eight assists, logging 41 penalty minutes in the process.
- You might also like:
- Patrick Roy says he's "thankful" for emotional Canadiens tribute