More NHL: | | | | | Danny Jackson Jersey The NHL Department of Player Safety has suspended forward five games for his hit on defenseman .Lapierre had an in-person hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety Friday in New York, which allowed for a suspension of more than five games.The department considers Lapierre's infraction boarding. The fact that Boyle, who left the game on a stretcher, was seriously injured on the play, as always was also taken into account. Additonally, the fact that Boyle was in a vulnerable position was also considered by the department, but the fact that Boyle's numbers were visible to Lapierre for some time prior to contact put more onus on Lapierre to avoid or minimize the contact.Though Lapierre is not considered a repeat offender in the eys of the collective bargaining agreement, he was suspended for a similar infraction in 2010, as Shanahan explained in the video.A five-game suspension is a stong statement from the Department of Player Safety and could be bad news for Cody McLeod, for his hit on Niklas Kronwall, which had a similar end-result. Shanahan and his disciplinary staff really haven't been me sing around with punishments this year, with heavy-handed rulings of late. Checking from behind or boarding, as well as checks to the head seem to be squarely in Shanahan's cro s-hairs and the rest of the league should be on notice. Wade Davis Jersey