The NHL issued a three-game suspension to Edmonton Oilers celebrity Connor McDavid this week for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks ahead Conor Garland late of their recreation this weekend.
McDavid was offended after he had been tackled to the ice and held down by Garland — with no penalty known as — because the Oilers have been making an attempt to tie the sport.
On Tuesday evening, the Oilers determined to concern 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 by means of this course of and the group and our followers look ahead to 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 virtually 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 palms and delivered an affordable shot.
There may be additionally not a course of to assist him by means of. He was punished, he isn’t interesting and he’ll return to the lineup in just a few video games.
There’s a very actual dialogue available relating to the NHL, its officiating and the best way it treats star gamers. Whereas leagues just like the NFL and NBA exit of their option to cater to their greatest gamers and defend their greatest gamers, the NHL tends to do the precise reverse and expects its star gamers to battle by means of much more. McDavid ought to have drawn a penalty on the play. He ought to in all probability draw extra penalties than he does, and if the NHL cared about highlighting its greatest gamers, there could be extra consistency in that space.
The dearth of a penalty, nonetheless, doesn’t give any participant the correct or freedom to ship a cross-check to an opponent’s face.
He has each proper to be annoyed. The NHL’s star gamers have a proper to be annoyed with how they’re handled. However the suspension is justified.
Regardless of the Oilers’ unusual assertion, McDavid has determined to take a special strategy. He broke silence on the matter and offered sage advice on the matter — and the Oilers could be sensible to comply with go well with.
