NHL Player Safety Punishes Two Ottawa Senators Players for Reckless Actions Against Montreal Last Night

The NHL pre-season is often known for not bringing many headlines, as players are simply going through the motions, but sometimes, we see some brutal collisions or big moments that could effect the regular season.

We saw several of those on Tuesday night when the Ottawa Senators matched up with the Montreal Canadiens, and now, it appears as though several players are going to pay for their actions.

The most notable of those is Nick Cousins, who is renowned as one of the NHL's most hated players, with many expecting him to face punishment after slashing the hands of young Canadiens star Ivan Demidov.

Now, we know the punishment, as the NHL's Department of Player Safety has announced he will be fined $2,148.44, the maximum allowable under the NHL's current CBA.

On top of that, Hayden Hodgson, who is fighting for a spot on this Senators team has also been fined, as he faces a $2,018.23 fine for boarding Canadiens centre Alex Newhook during the same game.

Neither of these actions warranted a suspension, with many believing a fine was the appropriate punishment for this situation, and now, this has simply raised the intensity for when these two teams end up doing battle in the regular season.

Ultimately though, this type of action simply isn't necessary in the pre-season, as teams are simply looking to get through healthy to the regular season, and given how dangerous both plays were, the unnecessary moves were punished well by the NHL and the Department of Player Safety.