Milan Lucic, Flames haven’t learned their lesson from latest suspension

Milan Lucic and the Calgary Flames’ comments about the forward’s suspension highlights their inability to read a room and learn a lesson.

Calgary Flames’ forward Milan Lucic was suspended two games over the weekend for sucker punching Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Kole Sherwood. The play did not result in an injury, but Lucic’s punch made waves on social media for being an unnecessary, and aggressively violent, fist to the face.

On the play, Sherwood jabbed at Flames’ netminder David Rittich after the goaltender covered the puck with his pads while play was still active. Lucic took offense to the swipes, and took matters into his own hands by pulling Sherwood away from the play and decking him in the face after the whistles blew.

The incident didn’t go unnoticed by the officials on the ice, who handed out a double minor to Lucic for roughing and gave Sherwood a slashing penalty on Rittich for good measure. On Sunday, the NHL handed out supplementary discipline to Lucic, suspending him for two games for the forward’s fourth overall suspension of his career.

The Flames, and general manager Brad Treliving, overall did not agree with the ruling that came down over the weekend, stating that they “vehemently disagree” with the NHL Department of Player Safety verdict:

"I’ve got the utmost respect for George Parros and the Department of Player Safety, they do a great job, but on this one we vehemently disagree. I thought the play was handled by the on-ice officiating staff correctly last night. I saw a player who poked, jabbed, whacked, speared — whatever you want to call it — the goaltender. I think 31 teams around the league, if you do that to anybody, there’s going to be a reaction."

As for Lucic himself, the forward was asked about the suspension by Calgary media on Tuesday, and also came away unimpressed by the ruling from the Department of Player Safety.

It’s one thing to defend a teammate who is getting taken advantage of on the ice by opposing players, and it’s another thing completely to blindside a player with a punch to the head in the manner Lucic did. Though Sherwood wasn’t injured in the incident, Lucic’s punch to the head of an unsuspecting player — and unwilling fighting partner — was uncalled for in the moment.

In the scrum after the hit, Lucic also got another jab at Sherwood’s head before the pile up smothered them both in a sea of bodies.

Jabs like the one Sherwood put on Rittich are a common occurrence in the NHL, as players will hack at goaltenders until the whistle is blown by officials on nearly every play where the goaltender is possessing the puck. Sherwood’s slash at the end of his drive-by whack was a deserved two minutes in the penalty box, but the response from Lucic was not at all needed in the situation.

The Flames’ comments about Lucic’s punch are disheartening, as it seems as if Calgary doesn’t get what was wrong with the incident to begin with. Sherwood’s slash was an offense to be penalized, yet Lucic’s punch escalated the incident with an act of aggression that was not at all warranted for the situation. Dust ups with netminders after the whistle usually end in players being pinned to the boards as teams scuffle up, not getting an out-of-the-blue knock to the face.

Lucic himself doubled down on the punch in his comments to the media, stating that he’s “more than willing” to stand up for his teammates in the same way he did against the Blue Jackets. The forward admitted he may have to play a little “lighter” in order to avoid suspension next time around, but it seems as if sitting for two games won’t change the mindset Lucic has going forward.

The Lucic punch, and the comments from the Flames and the forward himself after the fact, showcase a lesson not learned by the parties involved. A two-game suspension was never going to change Lucic’s mind, it seems, and there’s a reason the Flames will be more than happy to get Lucic back on the ice, and it’s not for his goal-scoring ability.

It’s hard to say if something will change the mindset of Lucic and the Flames going forward, but it’s probably going to have to be something more than an unwarranted punch to the face.