Timo Meier suspended at the IIHF World Championships for lower-body hit

The New Jersey Devils sent a few players to the IIHF World Championships in Switzerland this season. Paul Cotter got a chance to represent Team USA, with Golden Goal scorer Jack Hughes staying home. Dawson Mercer got to travel with Team Canada and hang out with Connor Brown. 

The most prominent players went to represent Team Swiss. Nico Hischier and Timo Meier are getting to play in their home country. It’s the highest honor to wear your country’s crest while playing in front of your country’s fans. The IIHF World Championships aren’t the most popular tournament, as one can see from the Team USA roster, but it’s a moment that Hischier and Meier will never forget.

Well, now there’s a moment that Meier hopes to forget. During a game against Sweden, Meier ran directly into winger Oskar Sundqvist with knee-to-knee contact. The video shows Meier sticking his knee out, whether it was on purpose or by accident. Either way, this is an easy decision by the IIHF to see that punishment is necessary.

Meier needs to be better about body control and he cannot allow his knee to stick out like that when he’s going for a hit. It’s way too dangerous with how fast the game is, even on the IIHF level. Nobody wants to get hurt or hurt anyone during this tournament.

Now, Switzerland will be without one of the best players in the tournament as they play in the semi-finals. They are preparing for a matchup with Norway for a chance to head to the gold medal game. 

Meier will be watching from his hotel room as he will be suspended for that game. The punishment is deserved, but it could have serious ramifications. We don’t know the next time real hockey will be played in Switzerland like this. It might be Meier’s last chance to do this in front of his home crowd. And now, he might be done for the tournament. 

To be fair, if Switzerland does lose to Norway, they will play in the third-place game, so he will have one more chance to play in front of the home crowd, but it will mean a lot less. 

If the Swiss can survive Norway, which they are still expected to do, then Meier can return to the lineup against Canada or Finland, whoever wins the other semi-final matchup. Meier is tied for fourth in the tournament with 11 points. He’s two points behind his teammate Sven Andrighetto for the lead point scorer. 

With this suspension, Meier won’t beat the point total, but it won’t matter if the Swiss win the entire tournament. 

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