The NHL handed Philadelphia Flyers tough guy Daniel Carcillo a one-game suspension for his role in an incident in the waning moments of Game 1 of the Flyers first round playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In addition, Flyers head coach John Stevens was fined $10,000.
Carcillo appeared to deliver a butt-end to the face of Pens' forward Maxime Talbot as time expired in Pittsburgh's 4-1 victory in the series opener. No penalty was given at the time of the incident, however the league reviewed the play and held a hearing with Carcillo earlier Thursday afternoon.
"We held a conference call Monday with the general managers and coaches of playoff teams and told them explicitly we would not tolerate attempts by clubs to 'send a message' late in a game when the outcome had been determined," said Colin Campbell, the NHL's Senior Executive V.P. of Hockey Operations. "Organizations, players and coaches will be held accountable for such actions."
Carcillo was suspended for two games while still a member of the Phoenix Coyotes in mid-October for throwing punches from the bench at Chicago Blackhawks' Ben Eager.
The Flyers acquired Carcillo from the Coyotes for Scottie Upshall and a 2nd round selection in 2011 at the NHL's trade deadline.
The 24-year-old had three goals with eleven assists and 254 PIM over his 74 games split between the Flyers and Coyotes this past season.