The Post-Gazette reports that the Penguins’ Eric Godard is, in fact, likely to be suspended for coming off the bench to fight the Islanders’ Micheal Haley, who was attacking Pens goalie Brent Johnson.
Rule 70.10 mandates that the first player leaving the bench during an altercation, or with the intent of starting an altercation, shall be suspended without pay for the next 10 games.
Also, coach Dan Bylsma is suspended automatically, pending a review by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. He can be fined a maximum of $10,000.
Godard was assessed a double game misconduct and a double roughing minor after his run-in with Haley.
Godard certainly isn’t among the Penguins’ top players, but his suspension would come at an awkward time, since so many Penguins are injured, and the injuries just won’t stop coming – the Penguins recently put Dustin Jeffrey on injured reserve to go with several other players.
Here’s video of the altercation between Haley and Godard. At the end you see the Islanders' Trevor Gillies yelling at the Penguins' Eric Tangradi as he's on the ice, injured. The Islanders should be ashamed of themselves. The sad thing, as some folks at The Pensblog have pointed out, is that if the NHL suspends guys like Gillies and Haley, it simply doesn't matter, because they're both career minor leaguers anyway.