TAMPA, Fla. -- Penguins forward Matthew Barnaby, who has been distressed by his lack of ice time lately, won't be getting any for the next week.
The NHL handed him a four-game suspension yesterday for grabbing the arm of a fan Barnaby believed menaced him while he was walking to the dressing room late in the first period of the Penguins' 2-2 tie Wednesday at Florida.
Barnaby seemed taken aback by the severity of his punishment. "It seems very stiff," he said. "Very, very stiff. I thought one game was enough and would have been sufficient.
"I've seen guys spear guys in the crowd before and not get suspended. But they didn't have the last name of Barnaby."
Barnaby had been sent off the ice after receiving a major penalty in the wake of a fight with Panthers enforcer Peter Worrell.
"As Mr Barnaby left the ice, he engaged in a confrontation with a fan," said NHL vice president Colin Campbell. "The NHL never has tolerated, and never will tolerate, inappropriate off-ice contact such as this."
Barnaby will be eligible to return for the Penguins' game Dec. 30 against Ottawa.
The suspension will cost Barnaby $53,658.54 in pay. Because he has been suspended before, Barnaby was classified as a "repeat offender" whose fine was based on games, not days, missed.
Barnaby suspended for 4 games 
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