Islanders F Travis Hamonic automatically suspended one game for instigating
The NHL has suspended New York Islanders forward Travis Hamonic one game for violating the instigator rule in Saturday's game against the New Jersey Devils.
Travis Hamonic is automatically suspended for one (1) game per Rule 46.22
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) March 1, 2014
At the end of the third period, Hamonic was given 32 penalty minutes for an altercation with Devils forward Ryan Carter. A 10-minute game misconduct, a fighting major, an instigator penalty and a game misconduct.
NHL Rule 46.2 is explained below:
The aggressor in an altercation shall be the player who continues to throw punches in an attempt to inflict punishment on his opponent who is in a defenseless position or who is an unwilling combatant.
A player must be deemed the aggressor when he has clearly won the fight but he continues throwing and landing punches in a further attempt to inflict punishment and/or injury on his opponent who is no longer in a position to defend himself.
A player who is deemed to be the aggressor of an altercation shall be assessed a major penalty for fighting and a game misconduct.
A player who is deemed to be the aggressor of an altercation will have this recorded as an aggressor of an altercation for statistical and suspension purposes.
A player who is deemed to be both the instigator and aggressor of an altercation shall be assessed an instigating minor penalty, a major penalty for fighting, a ten-minute misconduct (instigator) and a game misconduct penalty(aggressor).