New Jersey Appenzeller Timo Meier (28) will not be able to take part in the regular season NHL championship match against St. Louis on Thursday at 1 a.m. (Swiss time) at the Prudential Center.
The reason: the player safety department of the North American professional league imposed a penance match on the Swiss right winger, expelled from the game won by the Devils against Nashville (5-2) on Monday night on Tuesday, a duel during which Valais center player Nico Hischier (25) scored three goals.
In the 53rd minute, to respond to a hit, Timo Meier made a cross-check in the face of Quebec winger Zachary L’Heureux (21 years old), a rookie in the NHL. Francis Charron and Beau Halkidis, the red-sleeved game directors, immediately sent the Swiss international back to the locker room. But they had strangely considered that the preliminary action against the Swiss was legal.
Overheard by telephone Wednesday by representatives of the player safety department headed by George Parros, a former brawler, Timo Meier was also fined. No. 28 of the Devils, whose salary amounts to 8.8 million US dollars per season, will have to pay 45,833 greenbacks (40,600 francs) to the player assistance fund.
This is the first time, for a reason that is not medical, that the former SC Herisau junior will be forced to follow his teammates while eating popcorn in the stands since his debut in the NHL in 2016-2017 .
However, it has already been amended twice by 2000 dollars. The first time in 2018 after elbowing Michael Del Zotto (Vancouver). The second time in 2019 for diving too theatrically.
NHL. Tuesday’s matches.
