The NHL Department of Player Safety announced on Friday that Dallas Stars forward and NHL veteran Corey Perry has been suspended for five games, following an elbow on Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis during the 2020 Winter Classic.

While the hit did warrant a penalty and an ejection from the game, and Perry did issue a statement of apology, the nature of the contact required further disciplinary action from the Department of Player Safety.

Ryan Ellis is currently on the injured reserve following the hit, and is expected to miss several games.

Predators General Manager David Poile commented on the injury;

"With these hits to the head, you always have to have your fingers crossed because we don't know exactly how long these things are going to be," Poile said.

“Our team is going to be affected tremendously."

Corey Perry is the first NHL player to have been ejected from a Winter Classic game.

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