The NHL&#8217;s Department of Player Safety threw the book at Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves.

The DoPS announced that Reaves has been suspended five games for his hit to the head of Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse on Saturday night. The length of the suspension was justified by Reaves making Nurse&#8217;s head the main point of contact along with his history of attempting to injure other players.
<a href="https://www.nhl.com/video/topic/player-safety/reaves-suspended-five-games-6364833029112">Here&#8217;s a link to the full video with their explanation transcribed below.</a>
<blockquote>&#8220;As the video shows, Nurse gathers the puck behind the net and skates up ice as Reaves pursues from the netfront on the forecheck. Reaves closes in on Nurse as he rounds the net, and delivers a high, hard check that cuts across the front of Nurse’s body, missing his core and hitting his head, making it the main point of contact on a hit where such head contact was avoidable. This is an illegal check to the head.
It is important to note that both elements of the illegal check to the head rule are satisfied on this play. First, the head is clearly the main point of contact, as Reaves’ shoulder makes direct, and forceful contact with Nurse’s head, and it is the head that absorbs the vast majority of the force. Second, the head contact on this check is avoidable. Reaves mistimes this play, choosing an angle of approach that cuts across the front of Nurse, missing his core and making his head the main point of contact. And while we understand Nurse is in the process of playing the puck, he does not materially change the position of his head, or body, just prior to contact in a way that contributes to the head being the main point of contact. If Reaves wants to deliver this check, he must take an angle of approach that hits through Nurse’s shoulder and core, rather than one that picks the head, making it the main point of contact.
To summarize: this is an illegal check to the head. Nurse suffered an injury on the play. Reaves has been suspended three times and fined twice during his 893-game NHL career. The department of player safety has suspended Ryan Reaves for five-games.&#8221;</blockquote>
There hasn&#8217;t been an update from the Oilers on the status of Darnell Nurse yet, but <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/ryan-reaves-reportedly-went-to-oilers-room-for-face-to-face-apology-after-hit-to-head-of-darnell-nurse">Elliotte Friedman reported</a> that he was seen walking around and making jokes with the team&#8217;s training staff. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/ryan-reaves-reportedly-went-to-oilers-room-for-face-to-face-apology-after-hit-to-head-of-darnell-nurse">Friedman also noted</a> that Reaves went to Edmonton&#8217;s dressing room for a face-to-face apology. Despite the gesture, Reaves&#8217; history of making dirty and dangerous plays made this a very quick decision for the NHL&#8217;s DoPS.
The first suspension of Reaves&#8217; NHL career came during the 2015-16 season when he was playing for the St. Louis Blues. He was handed a three-game suspension for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXbGImeqevw">boarding San Jose Sharks defender Matt Tennyson</a>. When playing for the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the playoffs in 2020, Reaves was suspended for one game for a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXbGImeqevw">hit to the head of Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte</a>. In the playoffs the following spring, Reaves was suspended two games for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1-fCD49k1U">attempting to injure Colorado Avalanche defenceman Ryan Graves,</a> in which the big forward kneeled on the defender&#8217;s neck.

The NHL's Department of Player Safety threw the book at Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves.



The DoPS announced that Reaves has been suspended five games for his hit to the head of Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse on Saturday night. The length of the suspension was justified by Reaves making Nurse's head the main point of contact along with his history of attempting to injure other players.

<a href="https://www.nhl.com/video/topic/player-safety/reaves-suspended-five-games-6364833029112">Here's a link to the full video with their explanation transcribed below.</a>
<blockquote>"As the video shows, Nurse gathers the puck behind the net and skates up ice as Reaves pursues from the netfront on the forecheck. Reaves closes in on Nurse as he rounds the net, and delivers a high, hard check that cuts across the front of Nurse’s body, missing his core and hitting his head, making it the main point of contact on a hit where such head contact was avoidable. This is an illegal check to the head.

It is important to note that both elements of the illegal check to the head rule are satisfied on this play. First, the head is clearly the main point of contact, as Reaves’ shoulder makes direct, and forceful contact with Nurse’s head, and it is the head that absorbs the vast majority of the force. Second, the head contact on this check is avoidable. Reaves mistimes this play, choosing an angle of approach that cuts across the front of Nurse, missing his core and making his head the main point of contact. And while we understand Nurse is in the process of playing the puck, he does not materially change the position of his head, or body, just prior to contact in a way that contributes to the head being the main point of contact. If Reaves wants to deliver this check, he must take an angle of approach that hits through Nurse’s shoulder and core, rather than one that picks the head, making it the main point of contact.

To summarize: this is an illegal check to the head. Nurse suffered an injury on the play. Reaves has been suspended three times and fined twice during his 893-game NHL career. The department of player safety has suspended Ryan Reaves for five-games."</blockquote>
There hasn't been an update from the Oilers on the status of Darnell Nurse yet, but <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/ryan-reaves-reportedly-went-to-oilers-room-for-face-to-face-apology-after-hit-to-head-of-darnell-nurse">Elliotte Friedman reported</a> that he was seen walking around and making jokes with the team's training staff. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/ryan-reaves-reportedly-went-to-oilers-room-for-face-to-face-apology-after-hit-to-head-of-darnell-nurse">Friedman also noted</a> that Reaves went to Edmonton's dressing room for a face-to-face apology. Despite the gesture, Reaves' history of making dirty and dangerous plays made this a very quick decision for the NHL's DoPS.

The first suspension of Reaves' NHL career came during the 2015-16 season when he was playing for the St. Louis Blues. He was handed a three-game suspension for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXbGImeqevw">boarding San Jose Sharks defender Matt Tennyson</a>. When playing for the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the playoffs in 2020, Reaves was suspended for one game for a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXbGImeqevw">hit to the head of Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte</a>. In the playoffs the following spring, Reaves was suspended two games for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1-fCD49k1U">attempting to injure Colorado Avalanche defenceman Ryan Graves,</a> in which the big forward kneeled on the defender's neck.

NHL Player Safety explains decision to suspend Ryan Reaves five games for hit on Darnell Nurse

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