Should Arber Xhekaj have been suspended instead of $3,385 fine for jumping Cedric Pare?

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj was fined Sunday for unsportsmanlike conduct following an incident involving the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Cedric Pare on Saturday night, according to ESPN.

The Department of Player Safety (DoPS) hit Xhekaj with a $3,385 fine for attacking Pare after Pare collided with Arber Xhekaj’s teammate Patrik Lane early in the first period of the Leafs-Habs tilt.

Laine left the game and was carried to the dressing room. Laine was in visible pain and frustration following the knee-on-knee hit.

Pare was not assessed a penalty on the play. The DoPS has not issued any disciplinary action against Pare.

The attack by Arber Xhekaj on Cedric Pare was a deliberate retaliation on what seemed nothing more than an unfortunate play. When looking at the footage, there’s no clear indication that Pare intended to hurt Patrik Laine. There’s no evidence Pare purposely stuck his leg out to strike Laine on the knee.

However, Xhekaj’s unprovoked retaliation was so ferocious that Pare was unable to defend himself. Instead of a fight in the traditional sense, the attack resembled an assault on Pare.

As soon as Arber Xhekaj began striking Pare, Pare hit the ice and covered his face amid the rain of blows upon him. The officials broke up the melee with Xhekaj given a major penalty for fighting and a game misconduct.

In a way, the fight was warranted on Xhekaj’s part. He stood up for a teammate. However, Pare was not given the opportunity to fight back. Thus, the altercation looked more like a one-sided attack than an actual fight between two players.

Should Arber Xhekaj have been suspended instead of fined?

There is an argument to be made in this regard. Xhekaj instigated the altercation but did not allow Pare to fight back. In fact, Xhekaj jumped Pare after Pare had collided with another player along the board. As such, Xhekaj caught Pare unaware, potentially causing more damage than due to the unexpected nature of the attack.

The circumstances point toward Arber Xhekaj deserving a suspension. Perhaps a one or two-game suspension would have been warranted due to the vicious nature of Xhekaj’s attack.

Nevertheless, the DoPS most likely issued the fine, the maximum amount allowed under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement in lieu of a suspension since Pare was not actually hurt as a result of the altercation.

Now, supposing Pare had been injured from the altercation, there would have been enough evidence to issue a suspension to Xhekaj. It’s worth pointing out that Xhekaj did not drop his gloves during the attack, most likely attempting to dampen the overall impact of his actions.

Ultimately, the league cracks down on such actions to avoid a player being seriously injured. The league does not want to have players commit reckless acts of violence as it casts a dark shadow over the game.