Andrew Shaw Avoids Suspension for High Hit Tuesday

Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw will not face supplementary discipline for his high hit on Colorado Avalanche defenseman Francois Beauchemin, the league announced on Wednesday.

Shaw, who was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for the hit, did have his case reviewed by the league, but it was decided that the hit wasn’t worthy of any additional discipline.

On the play, Shaw appeared to go after Beauchemin’s head along the boards, but he ended up taking the brunt of the impact as he slammed the back of his own head into the barrier. The Avalanche did not score on the power play that followed, but they did ultimately win the game 3-0.

Here is video of the hit in question:

[[362702571 , C]]

While the league decided not to tag Shaw with a suspension, it does appear that there was a legitimate case if they’d decided to do so. Rule 48.1 in the NHL rulebook no longer includes “targeting” as a criteria for a violation, but it could be argued that Shaw violated the rule anyway:

“A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head was the main point of contact and contact to the head was avoidable.”

What do you think Hawks fans? Did Shaw get away with one, or did the league get the call right?

Contact Us