It was supposed to be a battle of brothers this weekend at ShoWare Center, when T-Birds goaltender Calvin Pickard faced his older brother Chet as the Tri City Americans came to town. But Chet, Tri City's star and Nashville Predators prospect, did not make the trip. He's nursing a concussion that may leave him out of the Americans' lineup for the rest of the season. The concussion came courtesy of Spokane Chiefs forward Ryan Letts during a game last Saturday in Spokane. Video captures what happened:
Ryan Letts gets in a cheap and dirty shot at Pickard, who clearly is not expecting to get bowled over. Pickard hit his head on the goalpost and ends up flat on the ice. It's not clear whether anyone fell on him during the brawl that followed.
I read that the WHL suspended Letts for ten games as a result of this hit. But if Pickard really is out for the rest of the season, then it's only fair to make Letts sit out as well. Both Tri City and Spokane are in the playoffs and both are sitting high in their divisions. It's not fair to allow Letts to come back and help his team advance, when Tri City's star goalie must sit out.
