The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Blackhawks defenseman, Duncan Keith, for five games following a nasty elbow to the head of Canucks forward Daniel Sedin. While Keith is a key player in the Blackhawks lineup, Daniel Sedin (out indefinitely) leads the Canucks with 30 goals and will most likely be a bigger loss to his team. Five minutes prior to the elbow, Keith was checked hard into the boards by Sedin, fueling suspicion that the elbow was premeditated retaliation. “Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Keith will forfeit $149,688.15.” Umm…that sucks.

Here’s Brendan Shanahan’s explanation of the ruling:

Via Puck Daddy