Devils Timo Meier suspended by NHL Player Safety Department, full statement

It will be an early Thanksgiving for Timo Meier. The New Jersey Devils forward was suspended one game by the Department of Player Safety for illegally checking the face of Nashville Predators forward Zachary L’Heureux.

Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and based on his average annual salary, Meier will forfeit $45,833.33. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

The incident occurred in the third period Monday night in which the Devils defeated the Predators 5-2.

RELATED: No-Bull Nico Hischier powers the Devils with a natural hat trick, defeating the Predators 5-2

After Predators goaltender Scott Wedgewood covered the puck, L’Heureux became annoyed by Meier’s presence near Nashville’s goaltender and pushed the Devils forward. In retaliation, Meier accidentally hit L’Heureux in the face, forcing him to leave the third period and not return.

Meier received a five-minute major penalty and a game-time disciplinary violation for the cross-check and was excluded from the remainder of the competition. The Devils forward collected a point on five shots in 13:37 of ice time. He also received 17 penalty minutes, including a tripping offense early in the second period.

The Department of Player Safety’s statement for Meier’s suspension reads as follows:

“On Monday night in New Jersey, Devils forward Timo Meier was assessed a major penalty and a game-misconduct penalty for violently sending Predators forward Zachary L’Heureux in the face during a stoppage in play. As the video shows, the puck is frozen by the Predators goaltender for a whistle as L’Heureux pushes Meier away from the front of the net. After the push, Meier delivered a counterpunch to L’Heureux’s chest. Then, after this first cross-check, Meier pulls his stick back with both hands and delivers a second two-handed blow with his stick, which hits L’Heureux directly on the head and causes him to fall to the ground. This is a cross-check.

“It is important to note that Meier is in control of this game at all times and tries to give the opponent a second counterattack after the final whistle. This is not a case of two players competing with sticks held high. It also doesn’t happen that the shot passes over a player’s body before hitting the head. Players are responsible for their stick at all times and will not be excused from their actions simply because a blow lands in an unintended place on the opponent or with unintended force. This is still a high counter-throw, taken after the final whistle and directly touching an opponent’s head with sufficient force to warrant additional discipline. In summary, this is a cross-check. Meier was fined once during his 565-game NHL career. The Ministry of Player Safety has suspended Timo Meier for one game.”

The video of the Meier cross check can be found here.

CURRENT: Turning point? Devils begin to fulfill Tom Fitzgerald’s vision

For more Devils news, visit New Jersey Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.

Keep following us 𝕏:

@NJDHockeyNow, @JamesNicholsNHL, @NickNatale10

And about threads:

@JamesNicholsNHL