Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Samuel Savoie has just received a three-game suspension, and Chicago Blackhawks fans are left shaking their heads about the soft discipline for the forward.
Rockford’s feisty winger is paying for a moment that happened at the final horn on Sunday in Manitoba.
The report: Savoie fired a puck at the net after the final whistle, and the league came down hard with three games.
That is a big chunk of schedule for something that, on its face, sounds like pure annoyance more than real danger.
Savoie is 21, drafted in 2022, Round 3, by the Chicago Blackhawks, and he has been fighting to turn “energy guy” into everyday pro value.
Here’s the part that bugs me, the punishment feels like it skipped a step when a fine or a one-gamer would have sent the message.
A three-game sit also turns a tiny lapse into a real roster problem for the IceHogs.
You lose a penalty killer, an agitating forechecker, and one of the few guys who can change the temperature of a shift.
Samuel Savoie puts Chicago Blackhawks depth to the test
This fanbase has watched enough weird discipline over the years to get instantly suspicious when the hammer drops this fast.
If the league viewed it as escalation bait, that is the only logic that gets you to three.
A late shot can spark scrums, and officials hate anything that drags a finished game back into chaos.
Still, context matters, did it hit anyone, did it threaten an official, did it cause a pile-up, or was it just a bratty punctuation mark?
For Chicago’s system, it also delays Savoie’s next audition, and those little auditions are how bottom-six options get built.
Rockford now has to plug the minutes and keep the forecheck honest, especially with points tight in the standings.
Savoie’s best response is simple, come back, play hard, and let the goals and assists do the talking.
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Chicago Blackhawks forward suspended three games
Is Samuel Savoie’s three-game suspension too extreme?