Rangers’ Miller to have disciplinary hearing for spitting

NEW YORK (AP) — K’Andre Miller of the New York Rangers will have a hearing with the NHL’s department of player safety for spitting at L.A. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.

The league announced Monday that Miller would have a hearing for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It was not immediately clear when the hearing would take place. The Rangers do not play again until Wednesday at Philadelphia.

Miller in a message posted on social media earlier Monday called his actions “completely accidental.”

“I would never intend to do something like that on purpose,” Miller wrote. “It goes against everything I am as a person and player. I felt awful about it.”

The 23-year-old also thanked Doughty for giving him the opportunity to apologize after the game. Miller was given a match penalty and ejected late in the first period, and the Rangers played the remainder of their 5-2 victory down to five defensemen.

Every match penalty carries an automatic suspension, pending review. In this case, Miller’s audience with the player safety department serves as that review.

There’s recent precedent for this kind of incident. Garnet Hathaway, then with Washington, was suspended three games in 2019 for spitting on Anaheim’s Erik Gudbranson.

After the game Sunday, Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said he didn’t see the play when it happened and added Miller “feels bad about it.”

Doughty said he was caught off guard.

“I was just shocked, obviously,” Doughty said. “I don’t even know if I said anything to him after. You don’t want to see things like that in this game. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that. I’m sure it has happened, not that I’ve seen. It’s unfortunate.

“Whether or not he meant to do it, I have no idea. It’s pretty big loogie on my face, so I was pretty (miffed).”

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