Why hit on Dumoulin during Stadium Series did not warrant a fine or suspension

Channel 11 talked with an NHL official Sunday afternoon to find out why there was no disciplinary hearing for Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds after the hit he delivered to Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin in the first period of Saturday night's Stadium Series showdown.

The hit knocked Dumoulin out of the game with a concussion. Kris Letang was subsequently injured in the scrum afterward. He was being diagnosed for an upper body injury.

While the NHL acknowledged that a few of the camera angles may have looked like Dumoulin took a direct hit to the head or chin, the NHL had another camera angle to look at. This one was a camera behind and to the right of Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott that had a direct view of Dumoulin as he was facing the camera along the boards. The NHL told Channel 11 that that view clearly showed that Dumoulin was hit in the chest.  That angle was not one of the NBC cameras at the game.

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Because the angle clearly showed Dumoulin was hit in the chest, there were no grounds for discipline. The primary standard is whether the head was the main point of contact, which the NHL told Channel 11, was not the case.

They also determined there was no charging on the play, it wasn’t a late hit and it was not an elbow strike.

We expect to learn more Monday about the impact of the injuries on Dumoulin and Letang when the Penguins return to practice.

Cox Media Group