Oilers' Darnell Nurse Denies Ryan Reaves' Apology, Calls Out Leafs Forward For Head Hunting Hit
Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse returned to practice today for the first time since taking a massive hit from Leafs forward Ryan Reaves, and Nurse didn't shy away from calling Reaves out.
The Oilers blueliner admitted he was in a bad position, but he still condemned the hit for being dirty, and interestingly did not agree that Reaves wasn't trying to hurt him.
»You can argue about the intent, but there are certain guys in the league that each shift they go out there, they try and go inflict pain. And I think it's pretty obvious what was going on there.»
- Darnell Nurse
- Darnell Nurse
Many other Oilers stressed that Reaves wouldn't want to hurt Nurse, but as the recipient of the hit, he doesn't believe that.
Correctly, Nurse is raising the point that Ryan Reaves is a pure enforcer, and his only real objective with the Leafs is to go out and make contact with his opponents - which wears them down, and causes injuries.
It's a fair point for Nurse to raise that Reaves surely isn't one of Toronto's 12 best forwards, and these types of players no longer align with the NHL's skill or values. Fans want to see star players play, not get injured by enforcers.
Overall, it sounds like Nurse wasn't too receptive to the apology from Ryan Reaves. Nurse still recognizes there was intention injure.
Reaves was suspended 5 games for the hit on Nurse, a sentence that many fans felt was too light for such a brutal hit - and it arguably benefits the Leafs, who lose a bad player temporarily.
Nurse was even still visibly cut up from the hit that left him leaking all over the ice in a scary scene.
After the hit, fans immediate concerns were a concussion for Darnell Nurse. While it's not confirmed that he avoided a concussion, Brett Kulak actually revealed that Nurse's eye swelling is the reason he can't play right now.
The Oilers have ruled out a return for Darnell Nurse tonight, but it's possible that he gets back in the lineup for Saturday night's game against the New York Rangers.
Nurse's injury came at such an unfortunate time as he was playing the best hockey he has in nearly a couple years before the injury.
Hopefully when he returns, Nurse can keep up that level of play, and be a positive piece for another long Oilers playoff run.
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