Sep 28, 2016
Habs' Shaw to have hearing Thursday
Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw will have a hearing Thursday with the NHL's Department of Player Safety after boarding Washington Capitals defenceman Connor Hobbs in a pre-season game Tuesday night.
TSN.ca Staff
Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw will have a hearing Thursday with the NHL's Department of Player Safety after boarding Washington Capitals defenceman Connor Hobbs in a pre-season game Tuesday night.
The hit occurred late in the second period when Shaw hit the rookie Hobbs face-first into the boards. Hobbs' teammate, Nathan Walker, went after Shaw following the hit and the two fought.
"A hit like that, you have to do something about that. I don't think that was a clean hit by any means and so I stuck up for Hobbs," explained Walker after the game. "I just saw [the hit] out of the corner of my eye, but when you hear the boards smack like that and you see him face down, you know it's not a good sign."
Shaw received a game misconduct for the hit and 30 minutes in penalties.
Shaw, 25, was traded to the Habs from the Chicago Blackhawks this off-season and later signed a six-year, $23.4 million contract with the club. He scored 14 goals and added 20 assists over 78 games with the 'Hawks in 2015-16, his fifth season with the team. Shaw added four goals and six points in six playoff contests as well.
Both Hobbs and Walker have yet to appear in a regular season NHL game.
"The most important thing is that the player wasn't hurt," said Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien. "Even if it was a pre-season game, [Shaw] was clearly playing with a lot of emotion, which is completely normal."