The incident occurred in the first period of the quarter-final game against Canada. Edler collided with Canada’s Eric Staal at centre ice, a hit which had Staal immediately fall down to the ice, favouring his leg and visibly in pain. Team Canada’s captain had to be helped off the rink and did not return. Edler was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct on the play.

The 27-year-old defenceman was already suspended for the remainder of the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on 17 May by the IIHF Independent Disciplinary Panel, whose mandate ran until the end of the tournament.

The panel determined at that time that Edler should have been penalized with a match penalty as he was in clear violation of the playing rule 536b (Kneeing) and deemed Edler’s action as reckless, dangerous and in disregard to the vulnerability of his opponent for which he must be held accountable.

Supplementary disciplinary action exceeding the duration of the tournament was handled by the IIHF Disciplinary Committee. After a hearing at the IIHF headquarters in Zurich last week with the panel, the player, his counsel and a representative of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, the IIHF Disciplinary Committee decided to issue an additional two-game suspension.

Edler already missed the semi-final and gold medal game at the Worlds and will miss Sweden’s first two games of the men’s ice hockey tournament at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, increasing Edler’s suspension to a total amount of four games.