A five-game suspension for Corey Perry means he won’t be making the trip out to OC with the Stars to play his first game against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center.
We’ve been waiting all season for Corey Perry to make his triumphant return to Honda Center. Since the Anaheim Ducks bought out his contract in June of 2019 and he was signed by the Dallas Stars, the January 9th contest has been something fans have been both dreading and looking forward to. Nevertheless, Perry’s return to the Ponda is being postponed in the wake of his five-game suspension.
The five-game suspension, given to Perry during his hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, comes after elbowing Ryan Ellis, a defenseman for the Nashville Predators, in the head during the 2020 Bridgestone Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. Just three minutes into the contest, Perry was ejected from the game, forced to make the long walk of shame back to the locker room.
Watching replays of the incident, in conjunction with Perry’s comments after the game, it does not appear that he committed this offense with any malice in mind. However, despite the fact that he may not have elbowed Ellis intentionally, the hit could have been avoided. It is important that action is still taken to prevent incidents like this from happening in the future.
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Dallas Stars head coach, Rick Bowness jumped to Perry’s defense following his team’s 4-2 comeback win against the Nashville Predators:
"“Corey Perry would never try to hurt anyone. He would play hard. I feel terrible for Corey Perry to be thrown out of that game early like that because when you see that in your calendar in the summer, you’re looking forward to that. You really are. But our guys won the game for Corey. They battled back.” -Rick Bowness, Head Coach of the Dallas Stars"
Things don’t seem to be lining up for Corey Perry when it comes to his former team. Earlier this season, he was scheduled to play his 1,000th NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks when they came to AAC in October. However, a broken foot would keep him sidelined for the next several weeks. Now, his untimely suspension will force him to sit out what was supposed to be his first game in the arena he called home for so many years.
There is good news for Anaheim Ducks and Corey Perry fans, however. In the final week of the regular season, the Dallas Stars are scheduled to make another trip to Honda Center. Perry’s return to Anaheim may be stalled for the time being, but we will have the opportunity to pay homage CP10 and his legacy with the Anaheim Ducks.
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