Oilers and NHL Fans Bewildered by Lack of Penalty Call After Ty Emberson Fight

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Liam McCormick
November 1, 2024 (9:20 PM)

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In last night's Edmonton Oilers game, fans and players alike noticed that the referees once again missed an obvious penalty call of instigator after the Ty Emberson fight.

Emberson laid a big, clean hit in the corner on Predators forward Zachary L'Hereux. The Oilers defender tried to move on with the play, but Smith tracked him down to drop the gloves and answer for the hit, without Emberson really wanting to go. That is the textbook definition of an instigator penalty, but for some reason, it just is not called.
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This isn't just a problem with the Oilers either. All around the NHL right now, there's seemingly an attitude that players need to fight after every single big hit. Fights after hits are fine, but the fights need to be two willing combatants. If Ty Emberson, or any other player, is trying to move on in the play and is getting jumped from behind for a fight - that should be an instigator penalty.

Former NHL enforcer Paul Bissonette and coach Rick Bowness recently discussed the ideas behind the instigator penalty on TNT. Both Bowness and Bissonette actually agreed that they don't even mind a potential instigator penalty being called, because the first priority is to stand up for your teammates.

Fighting after hitting and the instigator penalty is definitely a gray area in hockey at the moment, and perhaps it's best to be left to the players to police themselves on the ice. It's a case where the players and the referees are much closer to the situation than the fans, and the way it is now is seen as the just way.