Paille Gets 4 For Blow To The Head

Daniel Paille of the Boston Bruins has been suspended for four games for his blindside hit to the head of the Dallas Stars forward Raymond Sawada last night.

Here's the hit...
((HT: NHL/FSStars/NESN))


Paille was assessed a match penalty for illegal hit to the head and a 10-minute misconduct.

"Paille delivered a lateral hit where the principal point of contact was his opponent's head," said Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Mike Murphy. "Additionally, the injury suffered by the Dallas player was a factor in this decision."

Sawada suffered injuries to his nose and shoulder as a result of the hit.

Murphy handled the hearing in place of NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell, whose son Gregory plays for the Bruins and was involved in Thursday's game.

"It was a bad hit," said Bruins defenceman Andrew Ference after the game. "We can't be hypocrites when your own team does a hit like that which the league is trying to get rid of."

Paille is eligible to return February 15th against Toronto.