Oh, this is so exciting: After videos that detailed hits to the head and boarding penalties, NHL VP of Player Safety and Suspension Infomercials Brendan Shanahan gets a chance to inform the masses about Rule 70.1: Leaving The Bench.
Thanks, Jean-Francois Jacques of the Anaheim Ducks; here's why you're suspended for the rest of the preseason and five games into the regular season. As the video shows …
Anaheim Ducks forward Jean-Francois Jacques has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason and for five regular-season games for leaving the bench on a legal line change for the purpose of starting a fight with Vancouver Canucks forward Mike Duco during a preseason game on September 24, NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan announced today.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Jacques will forfeit $17,567.55. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
Please recall that Jacques was trying to make the Ducks' fourth line this preseason. His momentary lapse of good sense provoked this comment from Coach Randy Carlyle to Eric Stephens of Ducks Blog:
"It's hard to defend that," Carlyle said. "You can't defend what he did. He ran across the ice and went after a guy. It's kind of like you're at a loss for words when it's happening. You're shaking your head. What do you do?"
"He didn't really have a reason," he said. "He didn't know why he did it. He just said I did it and I shouldn't have done it. All I told him, 'You just tell the truth.' That's all you can do. … There's no masking what happened. I'm sure he's not proud of it and we're not proud of it as an organization and a coaching staff."
Sounds like JFJ is a real go-getter. Upper management material.