Image: Yle

Semir Ben-Amor, the Jokerit forward who brought widespread condemnation for his brutal hit on HIFK’s Ville Peltonen, has been banned for 18 games.

The bad-tempered European Trophy game on 1 September also brought lengthy bans for three HIFK players, two of Ben-Amor’s teammates, Jokerit head coach Toni Lämsä and his HIFK counterpart Pasi Sormunen.

The coaches will sit out eight matches each, as will Jokerit assistant coach Tomek Valtonen. In addition, Jokerit were fined 40,000 euros and HIFK 25,000 euros.

Police are also investigating the hit on Peltonen.

The incident could prove to be expensive for hockey clubs. Helsingin Sanomat announced on Tuesday evening that it would cancel its Jokerit sponsorship for the 2012-13 season because it does not want to be associated with violence.

SM Liiga starts on 13 September with a four games, including a rematch between HIFK and Jokerit.