Los Angeles Kings forward Brendan Lemieux has been offered an in-person hearing for biting Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Sunday.
There is no date or time set for the hearing but it will be conducted over Zoom. As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman explains, having an in-person hearing opens up the potential for the NHL to suspend Lemieux for more than five games.
The incident occurred with 6:09 remaining in the third period after Tkachuk began shoving Blake Lizotte following a whistle in the Senators’ zone. Lemieux came to the aid of his teammate and tussled with Tkachuk to the ice as officials attempted to pull them apart.
Tkachuk said Lemieux bit him and showed his bloody hand to the officials while heading to the penalty box. Both players were assessed roughing penalties while Lemieux was also ejected from the game with a 10-minute match penalty.
“It was the most gutless thing somebody could ever do,” Tkachuk told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun after the game, a 4-2 Kings win. “I don’t even know what he was thinking, he’s just a complete brick head.
Lemieux has four goals and five points in 13 games this season on the Kings’ fourth line.
