Connor McDavid hearing from NHL Player Safety confirmed after Oilers and Canucks meltdown
Photo credit: Bob Frid - Imagn Images
Oilers superstar Connor McDavid will receive an automatic hearing from NHL Player Safety after a hard cross check against Conor Garland, and an ejection from the game against the Canucks.
Connor McDavid narrowly missed any supplemental discipline from his recent hit on Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson, but he can't avoid it here.
Connor McDavid, Tyler Myers to receive hearings for actions in Oilers Canucks game
According to a report from Elliotte Friedman, both McDavid and Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers will receive hearings for their respective cross checks.
In the final seconds of the game as the Oilers were pressing to score, Conor Garland decided to forego to the rules and mob Connor McDavid - pinning the Oilers star down to the ice at the most critical time of the game.
With no penalty being called on Garland on a joke of a play, McDavid took matters into his own hands and delivered a very aggressive cross check to the face of Garland.
Even the Canucks broadcast admitted that Garland deserved multiple penalties for the play, and the referees allowed the game to get out of hand, driving McDavid to the cross check.
In the aftermath of McDavid's cross check and the scrum that formed afterward, Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers also drilled Evan Bouchard with a cross check to the face, for which he will also be suspended.
According to Oilers insider Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Athletic, Connor McDavid will very likely be suspended for his cross check on Garland, especially after the heat was on him for the check on Marcus Johansson.
It's unfortunate that McDavid will likely miss a game for a play out of frustrating in the final seconds of a game.
That's a problem for the NHL to miss their best player, after they're deliberately not calling real penalties against him. If the referees make the call, this entire play doesn't happen.
Players and coaches understand McDavid's response to Garland
After the game, there was a clear wave of support for Connor McDavid from coach Knoblauch, and even Connor Garland.
Knoblauch called out the fact that McDavid had been pinned to the ground without a call, and getting up with frustration was bound to happen.
Connor Garland admitted that he himself his actions probably warranted the crosscheck, and that McDavid wasn't trying to hurt him.
»Ah, you know, I'm just holding him. I mean, he's the best player to ever do it. So, you know, the time's running out and I just thought that was maybe the best way for us to win a game was to do that.
He's a passionate guy. He's a good dude. I mean, I don't think he was just his passion. It's a tight game late in the game. Everybody has the fire in their belly trying to win a hockey game.
- Connor Garland
He's a passionate guy. He's a good dude. I mean, I don't think he was just his passion. It's a tight game late in the game. Everybody has the fire in their belly trying to win a hockey game.
- Connor Garland
It was a meltdown situation in response to brutal officiating all game, and the NHL has only itself to blame for the frustration in the game popping off.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 19 | 594 ANSWERS Connor McDavid hearing from NHL Player Safety confirmed after Oilers and Canucks meltdown How many games do you think McDavid will be suspended for this play? | ||
| 1 game | 368 | 62 % |
| 2 games | 117 | 19.7 % |
| 3 games or more | 109 | 18.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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