TPS star forward Lukas Wernblom has been suspended for six games after biting Lukko's Peetro Seppälä on the finger in Saturday's SM-liiga game. The league's disciplinary delegation announced its decision on Sunday evening.
Seppälä said after the game that Wernblom's tooth went through his fingernail, and that blood ran from the finger afterwards. The bite itself was not visible on video, but the delegation said the linesman noticed the incident immediately. "The linesman's observation is supported by Seppälä's reaction in the situation and the bleeding wound on the finger, which was immediately visible to the officials," the ruling states.
The delegation called biting a rare act that doesn't belong in ice hockey. "Biting is a rare act that doesn't belong in ice hockey, and its reprehensibility is considerable. Biting an opponent violates their physical integrity in a way that has no connection to play under the rules," it said.
When weighing the length of the ban, it looked at the nature of the act, the wound and the fact that the incident happened during a stoppage in play.
The ban is a setback for TPS, since Wernblom has formed the league's best line together with Lukas Haudum and Lars Bryggman. He has scored seven goals and collected 17 points in 17 games this season, and he sits fourth in the league's scoring table.
Kärpät's Rasmus Rissanen was also given a two-game suspension. The veteran defenceman swung his stick crosswise into the head of KalPa's Jonne Tammela on Saturday.