Fansided

Los Angeles Kings Defenseman Slava Voynov Suspended Indefinitely By The NHL

By Tasha St. Pierre

Oct 14, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov (26) against the Edmonton Oilers at the Staples Center. The Kings defeated the Oilers 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov (26) against the Edmonton Oilers at the Staples Center. The Kings defeated the Oilers 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov has been suspended indefinitely by the National Hockey League pending an investigation into his arrest this morning.

Just when you thought that the National Football League had cornered the market on players being suspended for violent crimes, someone in the National Hockey League has to step up and volunteer to be made an example of.

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According to NHL.com, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov has decided to put on his best Ray Rice impression as he was arrested this morning on charges of domestic violence.

The defending Stanley Cup Champions along with the NHL wasted no time in nipping any potential scandal in the bud. Almost immediately, they have suspended Voynov indefinitely while the league investigates the claims made in his arrest.

The NHL did not elaborate on the details of his impending legal case; however, they were quite thorough in outlining the reason for their decision to suspend Slava Voynov.

Here is a look at Section 18-A.5 of the National Hockey League’s Collective Bargaining Agreement that opened the door for the suspension.

"“The League may suspend the Player pending the League’s formal review and disposition of the matter where the failure to suspend the Player during this period would create a substantial risk of material harm to the legitimate interests and/or reputation of the League.”"

We find it hard to believe that the NFL doesn’t have something in place like this that would have provided them the opportunity to nip their issues in the bud before they broke out into the scandal we have been hearing about non-stop as of late. At the very least, if they do have something like this, why it wasn’t invoked earlier.

The good news is, the National Hockey League seems to have no interest in playing games as far as matters like domestic violence are concerned. Whether or not you like Gary Bettman as the commissioner of the league, this is an incredibly smart decision on his part.

Unfortunately, this is not good news for the Los Angeles Kings.

Last season, Voynov suited up for all 82 games with the defending Stanley Cup Champions. In that amount of time, he scored 4 goals and 30 assists for a total of 34 points to accompany his plus-6 rating.

So far this season, he has played in a total of 6 games with 2 assists in that period of time.

According to NHL.com, Voynov will continue to be paid while the investigation into his charges takes place.

Whether or not he is actually guilty of said charges is yet to be seen. Fortunately, that is for a court of law to decide. Unfortunately for Kings fans, it may be a while until they see him on the ice once again.

What do you think of Slava Voynov’s arrest? Do you think the National Hockey League made the right decision by immediately suspending him pending investigation? How do you think this will affect the Kings this season? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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