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Why Flyers’ Dale Weise was suspended three games for Holzer hit

Philadelphia Flyers forward Dale Weise was suspended three games by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday for his hit to the head of Anaheim Ducks defenseman Korbinian Holzer in their Thursday night game.

Weise was previously suspended for three preseason games in 2013 for an illegal check to the head.

The incident occurred at 7:35 of the second period. Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Weise will forfeit $39,166.68. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Here’s the video explaining the suspension:

One of the great things about these DoPS videos is how they spell out when a player is or is not eligible to be hit. So, to that end, Weise made a good decision in trying to take Holzer out of the play, as the Ducks defenseman tried to chip the puck past him into the neutral zone.

But then he made a really, really bad decision in the way he delivered the hit.

“If Weise wants to deliver this check, he must do so in a way where he doesn’t make the head the main point of contact,” said the NHL’s verdict.

There’s really no debating the mechanics of the decision to suspend him. But we imagine there might be some debate about it being three games.

Well, there’s precedent for that, going back to last season and this Nate Thompson hit on Justin Faulk.

Faulk was eligible to be hit. Thompson went up and targeted the head. The NHL banned him for three games.

Player Safety gets crapped on for its inconsistencies, and sometimes that’s warranted. But not here; unfortunately for Weise, this is the standard.

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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