The NHL issued a three-game suspension to Edmonton Oilers famous person Connor McDavid this week for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks ahead Conor Garland late of their sport this weekend.
McDavid was offended after he had been tackled to the ice and held down by Garland — with no penalty referred to as — because the Oilers had been making an attempt to tie the sport.
On Tuesday evening, the Oilers determined to situation a really weird — and comparatively pointless — statement regarding the suspension.
“The Oilers group is disenchanted and we share in our followers’ frustration over the three-game suspension of our captain Connor McDavid. We assist him via this course of and the group and our followers sit up for having him again within the lineup vs. Seattle subsequent week.”
This isn’t the kind of assertion a staff usually makes following a suspension. It nearly looks as if an announcement only for the sake of creating an announcement and feeding into the followers’ anger.
Particularly when it was a reasonably justified suspension the place McDavid took exception to the dearth of a penalty, took issues into his personal arms and delivered an inexpensive shot.
There may be additionally now not a course of to assist him via. He was punished, he isn’t interesting and he’ll return to the lineup in a couple of video games.
There’s a very actual dialogue available concerning the NHL, its officiating and the best way it treats star gamers. Whereas leagues just like the NFL and NBA exit of their approach to cater to their greatest gamers and shield their greatest gamers, the NHL tends to do the precise reverse and expects its star gamers to combat via much more. McDavid ought to have drawn a penalty on the play. He ought to most likely draw extra penalties than he does, and if the NHL cared about highlighting its greatest gamers, there can be extra consistency in that space.
The dearth of a penalty, nonetheless, doesn’t give any participant the precise or freedom to ship a cross-check to an opponent’s face.
He has each proper to be pissed off. The NHL’s star gamers have a proper to be pissed off with how they’re handled. However the suspension is justified.
Regardless of the Oilers’ unusual assertion, McDavid has determined to take a distinct strategy. He broke silence on the matter and offered sage advice on the matter — and the Oilers can be smart to comply with swimsuit.
