NHL suspends Slava Voynov over domestic violence arrest

The NHL has suspended defenseman Slava Voynov indefinitely pending a league investigation of his early morning arrest Monday on domestic violence charges.

Although the NHL has no official policy on domestic violence cases, league officials levied the suspension under Section 18-A.5 of the collective bargaining agreement, which allows suspensions during a criminal investigation.

It states: "The League may suspend the Player pending the League's formal review and disposition of the matter where the failure to suspend the Player during this period would create a substantial risk of material harm to the legitimate interests and/or reputation of the League."

He was arrested under California Penal Code section 273.5. According to that statute, any person who willfully "inflicts corporal injury" can be charged with a felony, punishable by state imprisonment for two, three or four years, or in the county jail for not more than one year, or a fine of $6,000.

Voynov, a Russian citizen, played more than 24 minutes and had one assist, in the Kings' 2-1 win against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday afternoon.

He will be paid during the league's investigation but is barred from team activities.

"These developments are of great concern to our organization," the Kings said in a statement. "We support the NHL's decision to suspend Slava Voynov indefinitely during this process, and we will continue to take appropriate action as the legal proceedings and the investigation by the NHL take their course."

The NFL recently unveiled a new suspension policy for domestic violence cases that called for a six-game suspension for the first offense and a lifetime ban for a repeat offender. A six-game suspension covers 37.5% of the NFL's regular-season.

This came after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted he had made a mistake by suspending former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice only two games for striking his then-fiancee.

Last October, Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov was arrested for domestic violence, but charges were dropped in December because prosecutors said they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.