Ryan White hits Tomas Jurco with blindside hit to the head

Early in Sunday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Red Wings forward Tomas Jurco was the victim of a blindside hit from Flyers forward Ryan White.

Moments after Jurco fired a shot on goal and as the play was being whistled down, White came in from the side and delivered his hit. He made initial contact with the head and pushed upward with his body.

Jurco appeared to be fine and returned to the later in the period. In the meantime, White received a Match Penalty, which comes from an automatic review from the league. The safe bet would be to expect a fine or suspension from the league.

White has a prior history with the league, having been previously suspended in April of 2013 with a hit, ironically, against a player of his present team. While playing for the Montreal Canadiens, White hit Flyers defenceman Kent Huskins with an intentional-looking shoulder to the head.

While being a repeat offender should theoretically increase his punishment, White doesn’t qualify as one under the rulebook. To be considered a repeat offender, the prior incident has to have been disciplined within eighteen months. For his hit on Huskins, White received five games.

Similarly, this isn’t the first trouble the Flyers have had with illegal hits this year. In December, Radko Gudas was suspended for three games for a headshot on Ottawa Senators forward Radko Gudas.

As it stands, the Wings and Flyers remain tied at zero midway through the first period.