MONTREAL -- The New Jersey Devils have not opposed the harsh suspension imposed to one of their best new hopes, Patrice Cormier.
"The League made a decision and we are going to respect it. We do not intend to find a place for him to play elsewhere during his suspension," said the Devil's general manager, Lou Lamoriello.
The Quebec Junior Major Hockey League announced on Monday that Cormier was suspended for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
Lamoriello took the opportunity to clarify his position regarding the events after being criticized for seemingly trivializing Cormier's gesture during the game between the Quebec Remparts and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
"At no point have we considered that he should not be suspended for his gesture... Do I think this should go before a criminal court? The answer is no."
The vicious elbow hit his 2008 third-round draft pick gave to Mikael Tam doesn't seem to have changed Lamoriello's opinion, however.
"We don't believe that this incident is representative of Patrice Cormier's character. We saw who he really is during the summer training camp. It is a regrettable incident and he must be held accountable for his gesture."
Asked whether Cormier might be sent to the Lowell Devils in the AHL once the Huskies are eliminated, Lamoriello refused to comment. He added that he even thinks the suspension given to Cormier might turn out to be a good thing, in the long run, since "we usually don't fully appreciate something until we don't have it."
