Boulerice Checks Himself Out of 25 Games

NHL vice president Colin Campbell has suspended Philadelphia's Jesse Boulerice for 25 games after an unnecessarily vicious cross-check on Vancouver's Ryan Kessler on Wednesday. Boulerice went for Kessler's neck in the third period of an 8-2 Philly win, in a move that the Flyers GM called "a careless act," reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Kessler left the game with a sore jaw, telling reporters that Boulerice "has a reputation" for such hard checks. Philadelphia is finding it harder to brush off its own reputation for thuggishness, and faces roster troubles with both Boulerice and Steve Downie suspended. In a team meeting, captain Jason Smith called on his teammates to be "competitive and gritty" but abide by the rules.