Calgary Flames' John Beecher suspended by the NHL for illegal roughing

The NHL's Department of Player Safety has come under immense fire this season, as they've failed to take action on many occasions, with their calls benefiting the Florida Panthers just as much as any team in the league.

Once again on Sunday, they were called to action as they took a look into the act of Calgary Flames forward John Beecher, who sucker punched Michael McCarron of the Nashville Predators.

Unlike other times this year where they've failed to act for no reason, the Department of Player Safety has finally handed down a suspension, giving the Flames forward a one-game suspension for the act that saw plenty of backlash on social media.

On paper, this may seem harsh, but it was clearly a cheap shot from Beecher as the officials were looking to break up the scuffle between the two bottom of the barrel teams, and now, the Flames have this to deal with on top of Beecher leaving the game with an injury later on.

The Flames would go on to lose this game as well, with the Predators scoring a goal in the final 30 seconds to come away winners 4-3, and given everything that happened, it's safe to say that their next matchup should be must-see.

Ultimately, the NHL need to start protecting their players much, much more, and this decision from the DoPS is certainly a great start, and now, we'll wait to see if they are willing to hand down more suspensions moving forward.

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