Gary Bettman Makes Official Ruling On David Perron's Suspension Appeal

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Hunter Bowman
December 22, 2023 (5:28 PM)

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Gary Bettman, the NHL Commissioner, has issued his official written ruling following the suspension of David Perron from the Detroit Red Wings for six games due to a harsh crosscheck on Artem Zub of the Ottawa Senators.

The return to the lineup for Perron, after serving the entire suspension, adds significance to the appeal process as a reduction could impact his salary loss. However, Bettman, in his ruling on the appeal, affirmed that the punishment aligned with the severity of the offense.

"At the hearing, Mr. Perron repeatedly attempted to justify his actions as warranted intervention on behalf of a teammate and that he only intended to start a scrum. I reject that justification. NHL hockey is a physical game that sometimes results in physical confrontations. However, it is disingenuous to suggest that the cross-check here was merely intended to start a scrum. Mr. Perron could have verbally challenged Mr. Zub, but he did not. He could have pushed or jabbed him or even dropped his gloves to fight, but he did not. Had he chosen other options to support his teammate, he might still have been penalized, but the episode may have ended without supplementary discipline."

Perron's defense included highlighting his clean history, but Bettman clarified its relevance.

"I acknowledge that Mr. Perron does not have a meaningful history of supplementary discipline and that Mr. Zub did not suffer a serious injury. These facts were taken into consideration when determining that a six (6) game suspension was appropriate. Given the nature of the conduct (as discussed above), the suspension almost certainly would have been considerably longer if Mr. Perron did not have a clean record or if there had been an injury."

Perron has the option to seek another appeal heard by a third-party adjudicator, but it remains uncertain if he will pursue this avenue.

Source: Bladeofsteel