Paul Byron handed three-game suspension for charging

Montreal Canadiens’ forward Paul Byron has been suspended three games for charging Florida Panthers’ MacKenzie Weegar in Tuesday’s game at the Bell Center.

Byron had a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Wednesday morning.

The incident occurred during the second period of Tuesday’s game between the Habs and Panthers when Byron tracked down Weegar in the Florida zone and crushed him against the glass with a high hit.

Byron appeared to leave his feet and catch Weegar up high. He was assessed a two-minute penalty for charging on the play, while Weegar was slow to get up to his feet. The Panthers’ blueliner left the game with what the team labeled as “an upper-body injury” and didn’t return.

This is the very first suspension of Bryon’s career. The 29-year-old is an NHL veteran of almost 400 career games and isn’t known for being a dangerous player. His clean history likely played a key role in determining his suspension sentence.

Byron also issued an apology:

Byron is a key offensive player for the Habs and his presence will be greatly missed. The Ottawa native has scored 10 goals in 34 games this season and is a staple on the power play. He’s been credited with 110 PIM in 397 career games.