Philadelphia Flyers forward Zac Rinaldo suspended eight games

By Tasha St. Pierre | Jan 27, 2015

Jan 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bobby Farnham (58) and Philadelphia Flyers center Zac Rinaldo (36) battle for the puck during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

Philadelphia Flyers center Zac Rinaldo has been suspended eight games without pay for charging and boarding on Kris Letang.

Apparently it’s just another day at the office for Philadelphia Flyers center Zac Rinaldo. The NHL Department of Player Safety announced yesterday evening that the 24 year old center has been suspended for eight games without pay after a hit from behind to Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang.

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It all went down on Tuesday night as the Flyers took on the Penguins in one of the last games before the All-Star Break. At about 15:36 in the first period, Letang played the puck to the left of the Penguins net when he was absolutely nailed into the boards by Rinaldo.

If you saw the hit from the stands you may be inclined to believe this was a legitimate hit; however, upon further inspection you will see it is quite the opposite. Not only does Rinaldo slam him into the boards from behind, but he also leaves his feet in the process while making zero effort to stop or avoid the hit.

Did we forget to mention that the hit was late and Letang had already played the puck?

Just in case you missed the hit, take a look for yourselves.

Anyone who has followed the rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers know that there is most certainly no love lost between these two teams. On the other hand, anyone who knows the Flyers knows that this is not Rinaldo’s first time in the hot seat.

Rinaldo was suspended at the end of last season for four games for an illegal check to the head of Buffalo Sabres defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. This caused Rinaldo to miss the final four games of the regular season.

The severity of his suspension more than likely has a lot to do with the fact that he was classified as a repeat offender by Player Safety. According to NHL.com, under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement Rinaldo has been fined $73,170.72. This money will go towards the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

As we mentioned before, this is not Rinaldo’s first time being suspended for this kind of behavior, and judging by his track record it probably won’t be the last. The good news is that Letang has passed the concussion test and there is a chance that may play tonight against the Winnipeg Jets.

What are your thoughts on Rinaldo’s hit on Letang? Do you think he deserved a longer suspension for his actions or did the Department of Player Safety get it right? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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