Tyler Bertuzzi suspended two games for sucker punch
The NHL has cracked down on Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi following an incident in Sunday’s game against the Avalanche.
Bertuzzi has been suspended two games for unsportsmanlike conduct and roughing on Colorado forward Matt Calvert.
Detroit’s Tyler Bertuzzi has been suspended for two games for unsportsmanlike conduct/roughing on Colorado’s Matt Calvert. https://t.co/L2E2XHzDNW
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) December 3, 2018
The incident occurred during the third period of Sunday’s game at Little Caesars Arena. Calvert had his stick taken by the Detroit bench. As Calvert went to retrieve his stick, Dylan Larkin grabbed his head from the bench and restrained him while Bertuzzi took off his glove and sucker punched the Avalanche forward:
Matt Calvert tries to get his stick from the Red Wings bench and gets clocked by Tyler Bertuzzi pic.twitter.com/5AOhSukeTQ
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) December 3, 2018
The play went unpenalized and the Avalanche won the game 2-0.
Here’s the Bertuzzi punch in slo-mo:
Bertuzzi had never previously been fined or suspended in his 82-game NHL career to date. The 23-year-old has 16 points (nine goals) in 27 games this season and will be eligible to return to the lineup on Saturday night against the New York Islanders.