AJ Greer of the Boston Bruins suspended a game for cross-checking
Boston Bruins winger AJ Greer has been suspended for one game for cross-checking Montreal Canadiens winger Mike Hoffman.
The incident happened late in the first period of Thursday night’s game between the Bruins and the Canadiens. As both teams prepared for a face-off, Greer and Hoffman were aggressively batting each other as they waited for the puck to drop. It continued to build in intensity, reaching a boiling point when Greer went to cross-check Hoffman’s face.
Greer received a five-minute major penalty for the infraction during the game, as well as a game misconduct. It is the first time in his career that he has been fined or suspended.
The Canadiens would score on the previous power play to halve the Bruins’ 2-0 lead, but the Bruins would win the game 4-2. In just 2:13 of ice time, Greer had just one shot on goal and one blocked shot on his stat sheet to go along with the 15 penalty minutes.
Greer managed to establish himself as an NHL regular this season with the Bruins and, as a result, is enjoying a career year. In 52 games this season, he has 5 goals, 6 assists and 11 points, including five in his first four games of the season.
Greer is a former second-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2015, and prior to this season, he had played just 47 career NHL games between the Avalanche and the New Jersey Devils. He’s in the first year of a two-year contract with a $762,500 cap he signed with the Bruins in the 2022 offseason. It’s also the highest average annual value of his career. .
Despite the suspension, the only impact this will have on the Bruins’ season at this point, if any, is their pursuit of records, as they’ve already clinched a playoff berth. They pretty much have the Presidents’ Trophy locked at this point as well, as their 55-11-5 record puts them 15 points ahead of the second-placed Carolina Hurricanes.
