Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith will not appeal his six-game suspension, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety gave Keith a six-game suspension Friday for high-sticking Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle during Tuesday’s game. Keith told reporters Saturday that he called Coyle to apologize for the incident.
The length of the suspension means Keith will miss the rest of the regular season and Game 1 of the first round in the playoffs. Chicago edged out Winnipeg with a 5-4 overtime victory Friday in their first game without Keith this month.
The Hawks are 1-0 in the playoffs without Keith. He served a one-game suspension in Game 4 of the 2013 Western Conference Final after a high-sticking infraction against Los Angeles Kings‘ Jeff Carter in Game 3. Chicago won the game 3-2 and the series in five games.
Chicago went 5-4-1 during a 10-game stretch without Keith earlier this season between Oct. 20 to Nov. 12 after he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.