MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- The discipline chairman of the Memorial Cup has suspended Kootenay captain Brayden McNabb for tonight's game against Mississauga St. Michael's following a hit to the head he delivered Saturday night.
McNabb, the Buffalo Sabres' third-round pick in the 2009 draft who signed with the team last week, stepped up to deliver an open-ice check against Owen Sound's Joey Hishon, and McNabb's elbow caught Hishon in the head.
"Following review of the referee’s report and watching all of the television footage of the incident, I determined that it was a reckless action by the player but not a deliberate attempt to injure," said Brian O'Neill, discipline chairman of the Memorial Cup.
McNabb will miss a crucial matchup. Kootenay and St. Michael's both lost their openers of the round-robin round.
"He’s an outstanding player, and he’s been an outstanding player for us for quite awhile," Kootenay coach Kris Knoblauch said. "We will miss him because he is a big part of his team, but we’re confident in the guys that we do have in our lineup, that we will improve."
---John Vogl
