Coyotes defenseman Anthony DeAngelo will watch from the sidelines for the next three games after attempting to knock a linesman’s hands off of his jersey following a scrum.
Coyotes rookie DeAngelo lands three-game suspension for abuse of officialCoyotes rookie defenseman Anthony DeAngelo found out the hard way that when it comes to laying your hands on an official, the NHL isn’t about to give players much leeway.
DeAngelo, 21, was suspended on Sunday night for three games without pay following an incident in Saturday’s outing against the Calgary Flames. All told, the suspension will cost the rookie $14,389, all of which will go to the NHLPA’s Emergency Assistance Fund.
DeAngelo’s suspension comes as a result of an incident that came at the culmination of the second period in the Coyotes’ tilt against the Flames. As time wound down, Calgary center Mikael Backlund threw a bump on Arizona blueliner Alex Goligoski that instantly drew a crowd. Front and center in the mixup was DeAngelo, though the linesmen worked quickly to remove him from the pileup.
While being pulled away, DeAngelo attempted to knock the linesman’s hands off of his jersey:
It may seem a rather tame action considering the punishment — DeAngelo only attempts to knock the linesman’s hands off of his jersey — but the league is making it quite clear that any perceived violent action against an official will not be tolerated. Part of that no doubt has to do with living in the aftermath of Dennis Wideman’s hit on linesman Don Henderson, which was one of the most controversial moments of the entire 2015-16 campaign.
For the most part, DeAngelo hasn’t shown a violent edge to his game since debuting with the Coyotes this season. In 20 games this season, he has a mere 14 penalty minutes, and he didn’t show an uber-aggressive side while playing with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch during the 2015-16 campaign, amassing only 84 penalty minutes over the course of 69 games.
All things considered, though, DeAngelo’s rookie campaign hasn’t gone all that poorly. He has managed three goals and nine points in 20 games, averaging nearly 19 minutes per game, and has been a lineup regular since making his debut in early November.
DeAngelo will be eligible to return to the Coyotes’ lineup on Jan. 7 when Arizona hosts the New York Islanders.
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