Seabrook banned for three games

None of us should be surprised that Brent Seabrook suspended three games by the National Hockey League.

NEW YORK -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook has been suspended for three games for interference and charging against St. Louis Blues forward David Backes during Game 2 of the teams' First Round Stanley Cup Playoffs series in St. Louis on Saturday, April 19, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 15:09 of the third period. Seabrook was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for charging.

Brent Seabrook on the hit.

“It wasn’t my intent,’’ a contrite Seabrook said regarding his check that leveled Blues forward David Backes and earned Seabrook a game misconduct. “I was just trying to make a play on Backes. I thought the puck was there. I was on [Alexander] Steen. I was just coming down the wall and I just tried to finish my hit.’’

Former UND forward Chris Porter on the Seabrook hit.

When (Backes) went down like that, I thought it gave us a little bit more push to finish it off …" winger Chris Porter said. "He's our leader. We'll do whatever it takes to get him back. If that's winning a couple of games more, then so be it."

Former All-American goalie Ryan Miller said this.

“I didn’t like it,” Miller said. “I don’t think a lot of people who are hockey fans and have seen they way they’ve been calling things should like it. I imagine the NHL will have something to say about it but it’s not up for the players to decide. We’ll see what they do with it. But it certainly was not what we want to see.”