Analyst P.K. Subban Says Brendan Gallagher Should Be Suspended: “The hit is just inexcusable”

After hitting New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech with a flying elbow during the third period of Thursday’s 4-3 victory, Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher will go before the NHL Department of Player Safety.

Analyst P.K. Subban Says Brendan Gallagher Should Be Suspended: “The hit is just inexcusable”

Even Gallagher’s old teammate PK Subban thinks Gallagher ought to get a suspension because of how nasty the hit was.

In a video he uploaded on X, former NHL defender and current ESPN commentator P.K. Subban said that the hit in the Isles’ 4-3 loss was “inexcusable” and something the league couldn’t allow to happen again.

“It’s a great game, everything is good and then there’s this play,” said Subban, who played four seasons with Gallagher, 31, in Montreal from 2012-16. “It’s not a hockey play. It’s not a collision in the corner. It’s not a battle for the puck. This is a guy skating the puck through the middle of the ice and Gallagher throws his elbow right into his chin.

“I don’t know how else I’m supposed to call that, but to me those are the hits that we just can’t have. That’s just inexcusable. There’s no upside.”

It was a very hard hit, to be honest. With less than ten minutes remaining in the third period, the 29-year-old Pelech was skating through the neutral zone when he took a foul elbow to the face, which left him down on the ice. He was not carrying the ball on his stick.

Pelech went to the changing room after receiving attention from the training personnel. For an elbow to the head, Gallagher received a game misconduct penalty and a five-minute major.

Following the game, Pelech’s status was not updated by Islanders head coach Patrick Roy.

https://twitter.com/ridlygreig71/status/1750754196243001731

“I think we all saw what happened,” Roy told reporters after the game, per The Post’s Ethan Sears. “I think the league’s gonna review the hit. That’s all I can say for now.”

After spending 13 years playing, including stints in Montreal, Nashville, and New Jersey, Subban demanded action from the NHL Department of Player Safety.

The 31-year-old, who has never been suspended, may only be fined a maximum of five games because the hearing will take place over the phone.

This season, in his 12th with Montreal, Gallagher has played in 46 games and recorded 41 penalty minutes while scoring eight goals and dishing out eight assists.

How many games has Gallagher played?

Career Stats
Season Team G
2021-22 Montréal Canadiens 7
2022-23 Montréal Canadiens 8
2023-24 Montréal Canadiens 7
Career 209

Has Brendan Gallagher been suspended?

Over the course of his twelve NHL seasons, Gallagher, thirty-one, has never been suspended. In 48 games this season, he has 16 points (eight goals, eight assists), while in 723 games overall during his career with the Canadiens, he has 411 points (210 goals, 201 assists).

 

 

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