Edmonton Oilers' Andy Sutton, right, checks the Carolina Hurricanes' Chad LaRose, during first period NHL hockey action in Edmonton, on Wednesday, December 7, 2011. Sutton was suspended eight games on Saturday for a hit on Carolina's Alexei Ponikarovsky. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John UlanJohn Ulan/The Canadian Press
The NHL suspended Edmonton Oilers defenseman Andy Sutton for eight games for last Wednesday's incident when he charged Carolina Hurricanes forward Alexei Ponikarovsky, the league announced Sunday.
Sutton will be forced to forfeit his pay based on a pro-rated scale for the games rather than days because he was a repeat offender with a suspension within the past 18 months, as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the league said on its website. He was also suspended on Nov. 1 for an illegal hit to the head of Colorado forward Gabriel Landeskog.
He will lose $207,317.04, which will be donated to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
Sutton was given a minor penalty for boarding at the 10:27 mark of the third period.
He will be eligible to return Dec. 31 against the New York Islanders.