Causeway Crowd
Fansided

Boston Bruins: No Timetable For Adam McQuaid, Zach Sill Suspended

By Andrew Thompson

Jan 5, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid (54) lies on the ice after being checked into the boards by Washington Capitals center Zach Sill (not pictured) during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid (54) lies on the ice after being checked into the boards by Washington Capitals center Zach Sill (not pictured) during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Boston Bruins fans can find some small measure of justice today. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has decided to suspend Washington Capitals forward Zach Sill for two games for his hit on Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid. If you missed the hit, here it is again.

As of this today, there are no updates from the Bruins organization regarding the B’s defenseman. “No further update on him,” said Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien said of McQuaid after Wednesday’s practice. Julien was also unsure if McQuaid would be able to make the Bruins five game road trip.

“Don’t know,” offered the coach on McQuaid. “That’s where we’re at right now with him.”

Below is the Department of Player Safety’s explanation of how they came to the decision to suspend Sill.

The NHL acknowledges the hit as dirty. It fits the textbook definition of a boarding penalty. So, the leagues was going to come down on him. In Sill defense, the young forward has no previous penalties or suspensions from the league. (Then again, he’s only played 87 NHL games.)

For a two game suspension, Zach Sill is getting off relatively easy for a NHL player. Sill will have to forfeit two games pay, which in his case is $6,182,80. That pay is in accordance with the terms of the NHL/NHLPA’s most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement. That six grand will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

This will likely leave the Bruins short-handed as they start one of their more important road trips of the season. The Bruins blueline has been the weakest link so far this season, and McQuaid’s absence will only make a bad situation worse.  At the moment, it looks like McQuaid sustained a concussion, possibly a serious one. This means McQuaid will be made to go through the concussion protocols, and it’s unlikely the Bruins will see him at all during the road trip.

Home/Bruins News