ST. LOUIS _ Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo got a four-game suspension for his crosscheck of Nashville's Viktor Arvidsson on Saturday night.
The Predators announced on Sunday that Arvidsson will be out four to six weeks.
On Sunday evening, the Blues called up defenseman Derrick Pouliot and forward Nathan Walker from San Antonio. Pouliot has four goals and 14 assists in 20 games for San Antonio. Walker is third in the AHL in points with 22 on 12 goals and 10 assists. The Blues also designated Troy Brouwer a non-roster player and will activate him when his visa is approved.
The NHL department of player safety announced shortly after Saturday's game that Bortuzzo would have a hearing on Sunday. The suspension will cost Bortuzzo $67,073.16 in lost wages, which goes to the players' emergency assistance fund. Bortuzzo's fine is higher because under terms of the CBA, he's a repeat offender since he was suspended in the previous 18 months. He missed the first game of last season because of an elbowing call.
Bortuzzo crosschecked Arvidsson twice. The first sent Arvidsson headfirst into the goal's crossbar, which drew the penalty. Bortuzzo reacted in frustration to the referee's call and then as Arvidsson was trying to get up, Bortuzzo gave him a crosscheck in the small of the back. Considering that the Predators said Arvidsson had a lower-body injury � which they specifically attributed to Bortuzzo's crosscheck in announcing the severity of the injury _ it's the second hit that did the damage.
"This was not a hockey play," the league said in the video announcing the suspension.
