New York Rangers rugged forward Brendan Lemieux will be hit with a suspension once the NHL resumes games in late July or early August.
In what seems like years ago, Lemieux was called for a two-minute minor penalty for interference following the hit on Colorado Avalanche Joonas Donskoi on Mar. 12. The incident occurred with 2:52 remaining in the third period of the Rangers’ 3-2 overtime loss at Pepsi Center in the last game the team played before the Covid-19 pandemic shut everything down.
Donskoi did not return to the game.
Following a hearing today, the DOPS has determined that Brendan Lemieux will be suspended for his hit on Joonas Donskoi Wednesday night. The precise parameters of the suspension will be determined and announced once resumption of play guidelines have been established.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) March 13, 2020
The NHL Department Of Player Saftey had a hearing the following day and announced that Lemieux will be suspended but they would announce the number of games he will serve once the NHL had resumption of play guideline in place. The NHL anounced their Return to Play plan on Tuesday night, but at this time it remains unclear when the league will inform the team with the length of the suspension.
This was Lemieux’s second encounter with DOPS. He was fined $2,000 for elbowing Vegas Golden Knights forward Cody Glass on Dec. 9.
The Rangers will face the Carolina Hurricanes in a best-of-five Qualifying Round once the league decides to resume hockey activities. Lemieux’s aggressive style, along with his strong skating and willingness to stand up for his teammates will certainly be missed in the early games of the short series.
Lemieux appeared in 59 games this season netting six goals and 18 points. Â He leads the team in penalty minutes raking up 111.