NHL: Marchand suspended 6 games, Rask retires, Habs hire MSL, and more
Boston Bruins super-pest Brad Marchand has been suspended for 6 games for his actions late in Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
On Wednesday, Marchand had an in-person hearing via Zoom for roughing and high-sticking Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry.
Brad Marchand suspended 6 games
Marchand punched Jarry in the head during a scrum in front of the Pittsburgh net with 25 seconds left. Later, while being restrained by an official, the 33-year-old forward shoved his stick into Jarry’s mask.
Marchand was hit with a roughing minor and match penalty which comes with an automatic suspension.
Marchand has been suspended seven times for a total of 22 games during his 13-year career. He received a three-game suspension in November for slew-footing Vancouver’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Marchand leads Boston with 49 points (21 goals, 28 assists) in 39 games.
Tuukka Rask retires
Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask officially announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from the game of hockey,” Rask said in his statement shared by the Bruins on Twitter.
“While I am sad to say goodbye to the game I love, I am so very thankful to have shared these last 15 years with the greatest teammates and fans in the best sports city in the world.”
Rask, 34, returned to the Bruins on Jan. 11 following offseason hip surgery. He made four starts, posting a 2-2-0 record with a 4.28 goals-against average and .844 save percentage.
Rask was placed on injured reserve with hip discomfort and has not played since Jan. 24.
“When I made the decision to have surgery on my hip last summer, I did so knowing that the road to recovery would be challenging,” Rask said in a statement. “I also knew it was something I would have to do if I wanted to give myself a chance to play my best hockey again. Over the last few weeks, I’ve realized that my body is not responding the way it needs to for me to play at the level I expected of myself and that my teammates and Bruins fans deserve.”
In 564 career games for the Bruins (543 starts), Rask compiled a 308-165-66 record with 52 shutouts, a 2.28 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.
Canadiens Hire Martin St. Louis as interim head coach
The Montreal Canadiens fired head coach Dominique Ducharme on Wednesday afternoon and replaced him with former NHL superstar Martin St. Louis.
St. Louis, 46, is from Laval, Quebec and currently resides in Connecticut. He’s been coaching his sons throughout their young hockey careers and is considered one of the game’s bright young minds.
“We are very happy to welcome Martin to the Canadiens organization,” said Hughes. “Not only are we adding an excellent hockey man, but with Martin we are bringing in a proven winner and a man whose competitive qualities are recognized by all who have crossed his path.”
Montreal Canadiens
Blues extend Craig Berube
St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube signed a three-year contract extension on Wednesday.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the team. Berube will be behind the Blues’ bench through the 2024-25 season.
Berube, 56, was named coach of the Blues on Nov. 19, 2018. He guided the team out of last place in the NHL during that 2018-19 season to the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history.
“I’ve enjoyed working with (general manager) Doug Armstrong and (chairman) Tom Stillman, working with the coaching staff and training staff and all the players we have here,” Berube said. “Why would I want to go anywhere else? I love it here.”
Berube sports a 133-72-30 regular-season record during his three-plus seasons at the helm.
–Field Level Media contributed to this report
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