Patrik Elias and Brendan Shanahan were once teammates with the New Jersey Devils. The current NHL senior vice president for player safety knows Elias is a player that doesn't usually play an injurious brand of hockey; in fact, he hasn't had a major penalty since 2001-02.
Now, that doesn't excuse this, mind you …
… but it does make one wonder how Shanahan will approach any supplemental discipline for a player with Elias's clean rep.
This hit by Elias on Mike Blunden of the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night drew a 2-minute boarding minor with 18:54 left in the first. Blunden returned for a shift in the second and then didn't return for the rest of the game.
Does this end up a suspension for Elias given the injury, or a fine given his reputation? Or nothing at all?