The NHL's Department of Player Safety announced yesterday that Zack Kassian was suspended two games for his altercation with Matthew Tkachuk during last Saturday's Battle of Alberta.
During a media scrum on Tuesday morning, he made it clear that he has no regrets and has no plans on apologizing for his actions anytime soon.
"I'd do it all over again," Kassian told reporters when asked if he'd do anything differently. "Since I've been in minor midget I've stood up for myself and my teammates when I'm out there. To me, those are two dangerous hits."
"I'm a big boy. I love big-boy hockey. But if you're gonna play big-boy hockey, you gotta answer the bell every once in a while," Kassian added. "I'm not crying about the hits, it's hockey, it's the game of hockey-it's tough."
"I thought they were a little bit on the blind side, but at the end of the day I've laid big hits like that, I've been hit like that - but two times is more than enough. You play with fire, eventually, you're gonna get burned, and he messed with the wrong guy and I don't think he realizes that we're in the same division and I have a great memory."
Kassian also added that he spoke with current head of Player Safety and former NHLer, George Parros, and he was informed that the hit thrown by Tkachuk was not a dirty hit.
Kassian's two-game suspension starts tonight when the Oilers take on Nashville, and will end on Saturday against Arizona. He will return to the Oilers' lineup on Jan.29, just in time for the next Battle of Alberta.
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