Story Summary
Ottawa Senators forward Hayden Hodgson has been suspended without pay for two games after boarding Los Angeles Kings defenceman Brandt Clarke during an NHL game in Los Angeles on 29 October.
The incident came at 11:10 of the second period. Hodgson received a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct, with the NHL Department of Player Safety subsequently imposing the suspension.
Key Facts
- Hayden Hodgson was suspended without pay for two games for boarding Los Angeles Kings defenceman Brandt Clarke.
- The incident occurred at 11:10 of the second period during the Senators’ game in Los Angeles on 29 October.
- Hodgson was assessed a major boarding penalty and a game misconduct.
- Hodgson will forfeit $8,762.88 based on his average annual salary under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
- The forfeited money will be directed to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
IHM Discussion
The league’s ruling turns an in-game major and ejection into a further absence for Hodgson. The punishment is specifically tied to the boarding play on Clarke, rather than to any wider sequence from the game.
For Ottawa, the immediate consequence is that Hodgson will be unavailable for two games. The financial forfeiture is calculated from his average annual salary, with the amount assigned to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Why It Matters
Boarding majors carry an immediate cost within a game because they remove a player from the bench, and the subsequent suspension extends that cost beyond the original incident. Ottawa must now navigate two games without Hodgson, while Hodgson absorbs both the absence and the forfeiture attached to the ruling.