Former NHLer Andre Deveaux goes haywire, attacks opponent in ugly Swedish League incident

Former NHLer Andre Deveaux, who played a handful of games with the Leafs & Rangers from 2008-2012, went berserk prior to a Swedish League playoff game and attacked his opponent. This video footage is all the evidence needed to suspend Deveaux for quite some time.

Well-traveled center Andre Deveaux played 31 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers from 2008-2012, but he will likely be known from this point on as the man who snapped before a Swedish League game and brutally attacked an opponent with a blind-side attack that included a baseball-type swing of his stick.

Deveaux's Rogle BK team was set to take on VIK Vasteras HK Thursday in Game 4 of a playoff series that would determine which team would go on to play in Sweden's top division. But in warmup, Deveaux suddenly went after Vasteras captain Per Helmersson from behind, slashing him viciously in the leg, and then taking another clubbing swing at Helmersson's head before he tackled him and pushed him to the ice: (video via Reddit user kaugesaar)

According to the box score for the game, no penalty was issued, Helmersson went on to play the game, and no suspension was announced for Deveaux after it ended. But that may be because no video was available before now. There have been rumors the attack was revenge for a hit Helmersson laid on Deveaux in an earlier playoff game, but that's just providing cover for a dirty attack from behind. To see that footage and not argue the 31-year-old should be suspended for a very long time is to condone what Deveaux did.