Taking over some of the NHL news cycle this afternoon, St.Louis Blues forward, Kasperi Kapanen has been charged with an alcohol-related driving charge in his native Finland. In a statement, Kapanen said, “Last month I made an unacceptable error in judgment and take full responsibility for my actions. I offer my apologies to my family, the Blues organization, my teammates, and the fans. I understand the severity of my mistake and am committed to doing everything I can to earn back their trust”. In a following statement, the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Blues, Doug Armstrong, said, “Today we became aware of the incident involving Kasperi and I have spoken with him and his agent. We are disappointed in his lapse of judgment and are entrusting him to make the necessary changes to avoid putting himself in a similar situation in the future” (X Link).
All signs indicate that Kapanen and the Blues organization will handle this matter internally, and no suspension will be coming down from the team or the NHL. Last season, after being picked up on waivers by St.Louis, Kapanen would score eight goals and six assists to cap off the last 23 games in the season.