Quebec's Yanni Gourde will serve a two-game suspension after suffering a blow to the head from Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm on Thursday.
Less than 24 hours later, the National League's player safety department called the Seattle Kraken skater for a telephone interview that led to the sanction.
The striker clearly had no intention of laughing during the game, which ended in a 4-2 defeat for his team. Gourde was frustrated after taking a hit behind the head from Connor McDavid shortly after a faceoff between the two hockey players, and later beat Ekholm along the boards from behind with less than four minutes left in the third period.
After a melee in front of the Oilers' net, the offending skater received a minor penalty for assault, significantly jeopardizing his team's chances of a comeback.
This season, Gourde found the target seven times and had 12 assists for 19 points in 45 games. The Saint-Narcisse native will miss Sunday and Wednesday's games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks.