Former NHL forward Nick Ritchie has been suspended for eight games by Finland’s La Liga for an on-ice incident.
Ritchie, 28, who plays for Oulun Karpat, was given a five-minute major and a match penalty on Wednesday for punching TPS player Markus Norumea in the head while wearing gloves.
The league’s disciplinary committee found Ritchie “guilty of unprovoked, intentional and involuntary violence” and suspended him under Rule 46.4, which involves hitting a defenseless or unwilling opponent. .
Ritchie, a native of Orangeville, Ont., is in his first season in La Liga. In 10 games against Karpat, the winger scored one goal and provided four assists.
Ritchie was selected 10th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2014 NHL Draft and appeared in 481 NHL contests over nine seasons with the Ducks, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Arizona Coyotes and Calgary Flames. did.
Ritchie played in a combined 74 games with the Coyotes and Flames last season, recording 13 goals and 13 assists. Ritchie scored 84 goals and 186 points in his career.
Internationally, Ritchie was one of the members of Canada’s gold medal winning team at the 2015 World Junior Hockey Championships in Toronto.
Karpat currently sits in 6th place in the 15-team La Liga.