Bolts' Geekie suspended one preseason game
Published
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Conor Geekie has been suspended for one preseason game, NHL Player Safety announced Thursday.
The league found that Geekie left the players' bench on a legal line change for the purpose of starting an altercation.
Mid way through the second period, Geekie hopped over the boards and dropped the gloves with Florida's Josh Davies after Davies delivered a hard hit on Tampa's Victor Hedman.
Geekie drew a cross-checking minor, an instigating minor, a five-minute fighting major and a 10-minute game misconduct for his actions, ending his night early. Davies also drew a five-minute fighting major.
“It’s one of those things, it doesn’t matter if it’s Heddy or whoever it is,” Geekie said via Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. “I think anyone gets hit like that, someone’s got to step up. And I figured that I could be that guy. It worked out, but anyone could do it. I’m sure a lot of guys were thinking the same thing as me.”
“Whether it’s training camp or not, everyone’s got each other’s backs,” Geekie added. “And I think that’s why they’ve been so successful. I think I was just kind of playing in the moment. And I wasn’t letting get him in the way.”
The 20-year-old Geekie was selected No. 11 overall in 2022 and was one of the pieces that landed with the Bolts in the Mikhail Sergachev trade from over the summer.
Tampa will open their regular season next Friday in Carolina against the Hurricanes.