Chicago Blackhawks Keith suspended 6 games for hit on Coyle

The NHL handed Duncan Keith a six-game suspension Friday afternoon for swinging his stick at Charlie Coyle during the Blackhawks' loss to Minnesota on Tuesday.

Keith will miss the rest of the regular season and Game 1 of the opening round of the playoffs. The Hawks' veteran defenseman waived an in-person hearing and spoke to the NHL Department of Player Safety over the phone Friday afternoon.

Here's the NHL's explanation for the decision:

"While on his back, Keith looks at Coyle, winds his arm back then slashes his stick dangerously and violently directly into the face of Coyle. This is high-sticking. It is important to note that Keith is in perfect control of his stick at all times. This motion is made intentionally, not recklessly.

This is not a case where two players are battling for position for puck control and a stick rides up suddenly. This is not a defensive high stick. … It should also be noted that although Keith falls to the ice, in part because Coyle's stick gets tangled up behind Coyle's legs, this is irrelevant when we discuss Keith's actions.

Even if Coyle tripped Keith intentionally, it would not in any way excuse a response of this kind."

The suspension is certainly a blow to the Hawks, but it could have been a lot worse. Joel Quenneville's squad is almost locked into a third-place finish in the Central Division and will most likely start the playoffs at St. Louis or Dallas.

For now, the D corps will be made up of Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Michal Rozsival, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Viktor Svedberg, Erik Gustafsson and Christian Ehrhoff.

Svedberg, van Riemsdyk and Gustafsson are NHL rookies with almost no postseason experience (van Riemsdyk played in four Stanley Cup Final games last season).

The Hawks play at Winnipeg tonight, where they will be without Keith, Marian Hossa (illness) and Corey Crawford, who continues to try and come back from an upper-body injury.