Following his incident with Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk on Saturday, LA Kings’ Brendan Lemieux has been offered an in-person hearing by the NHL.
While the LA Kings did put an end to their five-game losing streak on Saturday, the victory did not come without controversy.
With just over six minutes remaining in the Kings’ game against the Ottawa Senators, Brendan Lemieux and Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk — no strangers to each other — wrestled to the ice, resulting in two officials trying hard to restrain both players. However, the incident also led to an alleged bite from Lemieux on Tkachuk’s hand. Yet, while the angle from the game’s telecast was inconclusive, the officials nonetheless believed Tkachuk’s allegation, handing Lemieux a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
Yet, while they were left unscathed on the scoresheet, the Kings aren’t quite out of the woods, so to speak, as Brendan Lemieux has been offered an in-person hearing by the NHL. Sean O’Leary of TheScore reported the news on Sunday morning.
If suspension history plays a factor in this coming decision, however, Brendan Lemieux is not in an ideal spot having already been suspended twice.
The first incident came in 2018 when Lemieux hit Vincent Trocheck‘s head, while the second came in 2020 for a late hit on Joonas Donskoi.
While biting controversies are rare, the last related incident in the NHL came in 2019 when P.K. Subban claimed to have been bitten by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The latter did not receive any discipline from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
As for Lemieux, he has been integral to the Kings’ success thus far this season.
In 14 games, he has four goals, one assist, and consistently earns his keep with his toughness and tireless work ethic, all the while complementing linemates Blake Lizotte and Arthur Kaliyev.
While a specific date and time are yet to be determined for his hearing, we will see what, if anything, is in store for Brendan Lemieux as far as disciplinary action goes.
Instant reaction, takeaways from LA Kings’ 4-2 win vs Senators