Michael Cammalleri Suspended.

Montreal Canadiens' Michael Cammalleri was suspended for one game by the NHL and will miss the season opener Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada center.

Cammalleri received a game misconduct penalty during the second period of the game between the Canadiens and the New York Islanders last Saturday when he brutally hit Nino Niederreiter behind a leg with his stick.

The one game suspension is a fair penalty in my opinion as Cammalleri clearly intended to hurt his rival. This is a first suspension in career for the Canadiens' forward.

Cammalleri was an important part of the team during the latest playoffs as he registered 13 goals and 19 points in 19 playoff games.

I hope that the NHL will start to increase the number and the duration of suspensions this season. The number of serious injuries is on the rise and a number of them are avoidable. We saw too many free shots from behind in the last few years and it would be a shame to witness a serious or tragic event before the league reacts.

(Picture: Michael Cammalleri.)