Blackhawks' Keith suspended 6 games for high-sticking (Yahoo Sports)

The NHL suspended Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith on Friday for the final five games of the regular season and the first game of the playoffs for ''dangerously and violently'' high-sticking Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle. While on his back on the ice, Keith struck Coyle in the face with his stick, an action Patrick Burke of the NHL's department of player safety called ''an intentional and retaliatory act of violence by a player with a history of using his stick as a weapon'' in the video announcing the suspension. Chicago's top defenseman and the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Keith will forfeit $148,883 but perhaps more importantly won't be available for the stretch run and start of the playoffs.