Mike Richards: to suspend or not to suspend?

UPDATE: Not suspend. The NHL has chosen not to suspend Mike Richards for his hit on David Booth. Read the comments to this article for some backlash from an anti-Flyers fan.

The Flyers put together a solid win Saturday night against the Panthers, blowing them out by a score of 5-1. Danny Briere had a pair of goals that will hopefully get him going and Arron Asham also added a goal, his third in the last three games. Ray Emery also played well in goal for the Flyers, stopping 17 of 18 shots.

The story of the night, however, is whether Flyers Captain Mike Richards will get suspended for his hit on Panthers forward David Booth. Late in the second period, Richards leveled Booth in the face with his shoulder, knocking Booth out and forcing him to leave the ice on a stretcher. Richards was given a 5 minute interference penalty and a game misconduct for the hit which tossed him from the game. Here's the hit:

Since Richards was given a game misconduct, the NHL will review the hit and decide if it was worthy of a suspension. While the Panthers firmly believe that Richards' hit was dirty, Richards and Flyers GM Paul Holmgren both believe that the hit was clean, with Holmgren saying that Richards "isn't a dirty player" and Richards himself saying that he just wanted to "separate (Booth) from the puck".

So, is Richards' hit worthy of a suspension? The hit was a little late but it was within the flow of the game. Since Richards has no prior record of an incident like this, I think he should be let off the hook. Of course, we all know how the NHL feels about any slightly dirty hit the Flyers make. Knowing how the NHL operates, they will see the black and orange and they will suspend.