The NHL's Department of Player Safety said Tuesday that Los Angeles Kings forward Brendan Lemieux has been suspended for five games for biting Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk.
Before the decision was made public, an in-person hearing was held on Zoom videoconferencing.
With 6:09 left in the third period on Saturday, Tkachuk began shoving Blake Lizotte after a whistle went off in his zone, prompting Lizotte to call for a penalty shot. As officials attempted to separate them, Lemieux ran to the rescue of his teammate and tussled with Tkachuk to the ice until they were separated.
The two players became embroiled in a lengthy third-period brawl that continued with both players on the ice and the linesmen attempting to separate the two players from each other. As he rose to his feet, Tkachuk pointed to his bloodied hand and told the referee, "He bit me."
A review of the act was conducted, and Lemieux was subsequently removed.
In spite of the fact that Tkachuk suffered cuts on both hands, the league concentrated on the bite that occurred as both players were being carried to the ice and did not accept Lemieux's claim that Tkachuk had struck his tooth.
Tkachuk absolutely ripped on Lemieux after the incident on Saturday, calling him a "brickhead" and launching a slew of other verbal jabs into the Montreal native during his post-game press conference.
"The guy is nothing more than a joke. He shouldn't be allowed to play in the league. This guy is gutless. No other team will want him, and he will continue to plead for a chance to play in the NHL. He's just a horrible guy," Tkachuk said.
This is not a hockey play, according to the league, which released a video. "When a player bites the palm of another player's hand with sufficient power to penetrate the flesh, this is considered a deliberate and potentially hazardous attack. Inaction on this level will not be allowed."
Lemieux, who was then playing for the New York Rangers, was suspended for two games in 2018 after being hit in the head with an illegal check. In addition, he was suspended for two preliminary-round games in 2020 for interfering with the game's flow.
According to the Ottawa Sun, Tkachuk expressed his displeasure with the situation following Saturday's game. "That is something that children no longer do. Babies behave in this manner. I'm not even sure what he was thinking."
