Wednesday, February 15, 2023

L'Heureux gets 10 games for fan incident

Halifax Mooseheads
Zachary L'Heureux has been suspended 10 games by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The suspension comes a week after the Halifax Mooseheads forward was involved in a post-game altercation with fans at the Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau.

Here is the rationale that led to the decision:

As demonstrated in the new video footage obtained by the League, the player’s gesture which occurred following the game simply cannot be tolerated by the QMJHL. Moreover, since the player has been suspended on several occasions, he is considered as a repeat offender.

The Director of Player Safety came to this decision after reviewing the video of the incident, talking to the player and the organization involved and after consulting with the Advisory Committee for disciplinary action.

For L'Heureux, a first-round pick of the Nashville Predators, this is the ninth suspension of his QMJHL career. He has 18 goals and 19 assists in just 24 games this season. He missed much of the first half with an injury.

According to the Mooseheads website, "L’Heureux was originally handed an indefinite suspension on Friday and sat out the remaining two games of the Mooseheads’ road trip. He will be eligible to return to the lineup on Thursday, March 9th in Acadie-Bathurst."

The suspension means L'Heureux will not play in Halifax's March 2 against Saint John. The 19-year-old has a goal and three assists in three games against the Sea Dogs this season.

The family involved in the incident released a statement, via JF Plante of the Gatineau newspaper Le Droit. The family was critical of the league's handling of this situation.
10 games is quite a bit, but it probably could have been worse for L'Heureux given his suspension history.

Will MacLaren and I discussed this and a number of other topics on this week's episode of The Hockey News On The Q.
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