Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers has been suspended by the NHL Department of Player Safety for three games for crosschecking Conor Garland of the Vancouver Canucks in the helmet. Vancouver’s Tyler Myers was also been suspended for three games for cross-checking Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard in the face.
On the McDavid suspension, Player Safety said: “Having just been involved physically with Garland, McDavid retaliates intentionally and aggressively, escalating the altercation by raising his stick significantly and creating this contact, a high crosscheck that makes direct contact with an opponent’s head to merit supplemental discipline.”
Before the suspension Bob Stauffer of the Oilers radio network said, “No one can accuse the NHL of protecting their stars. The Edmonton OilersConnor McDavid currently sits 197th in penalties drawn/per 60 at 0.89 (min. 10 GP).”
At once, reaction came in from social media. Here are some of the highlights:
Oilers fan Captain Jack 🏴☠️ @OilersJack
Tough day for people that have been trying to sell the fake narrative that McDavid gets special treatment… No league hates their own Star Players more than the NHL
Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Sun and Province quoted Myers
Myers: “I’m not ignorant of how it looked in real time. If you slow it (video) down, I start lower and as he brought his hands up, it kind of redirected my stick up.
“I never intended to hit him in the face and I’ve never cross-checked anybody in my career.”
Edmonton CBC sports reporter Min Dhariwal
McdDvid gets 3 games for this headshot on Garland. Shoulda given him 40 so he could rest up for the playoffs imo. Myers also gets 3 games for trying to remove Bouchard’s teeth… Unfortunately you can’t avoid the fallout after delivering a headshot. But I sure hope the
NHL got a long hard look at Garland doing what he did leading up to that and then admitting it post game. I hope it embarrassed the league & refs Chris Lee & Wes McCauley just a little bit!
Rob Williams, National Sports Editor of the Daily Hive Vancouver @RobTheHockeyGuy
Edmonton fans/media trying to say the Myers/McDavid cross-checks deserved different suspensions is laughable. You can’t cross-check a guy in the face. You don’t get a discount because someone was holding you beforehand.
Oilers fan Shannon Baerwald @ShannonBaerwald
Time for McDavid to stop doing appearances for the NHL. How embarrassing for the NHL. He receives the most abuse in the NHL & there are 3 to 4 non-calls on him every game. Myers was completely unprovoked & gets the same. Completely joke. Officials need to start being accountable.
Hall of Fame hockey writer Terry Jones @byterryjones
Connor McDavid, Tyler Myers both get three games? I figured McDavid for less due to circumstances and officiating. If I’m the Oilers I sign Tim ‘Dr. Hook’ McCracken, Ogie Oglethorpe, Mad Dog Madison, Clarence ‘Screaming Buffalo’ Swamptown and the Hanson Bros for Thursday…Too bad the Oilers weren’t playing in New York, New Jersey and Brooklyn for their next three. Or Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia.
Oilers fan K-JAM @KevinJamieson86
Retaliation during play = unprovoked after the whistle.
Brutal decision
TSN Vancouver reporter Farhan Lalji @FarhanLaljiTSN
Three games each for McDavid and Myers. I don’t say this often but I think they got it right.
Oilers fan Scott Seymour @Seymour_from_GP
I have no issue with a McDavid suspension. One games, three games, whatever. But if McDavid’s was worth three games, then Myers’ crosscheck had to be worth four or five because it was far worse.
Canucks fan David Cee @CanucksIn4
For those #Canucks fans concerned about the 3 game absence of Myers. Don’t be
Oilers fan Paul lmeida @AzorcanGlobal
I wonder if the @NHL would be ok if McDavid served his 3 game suspension during the #4Nations
Oilers fan JB @JackieBee_16
McDavid should just say “Four Nations? Nah I’ll pass.” Stop doing anything that promotes the league. Just play for your team and nothing more.
Sports commentator Tej Sahota 🇨🇦 @boatical
Does McDavid deserve the suspension? Absolutely. Does the NHL and its referees have a huge problem of officiating the rules correctly and favoring goons and plugs over actual talented players and thus losing rating wars to mls because the product is so niche?
Absolutely twice.
ESPN’s Rachel Doerrie
Underrated advantage of the deserved McDavid suspension: it allows him to get a week of rest. He’s playing in 4 Nations and a week off could be huge down the stretch. Draisaitl off during 4 Nations. Getting your best players that rest may be helpful in the long run.
Commentator Pete Blackburn of the What Chaos podcast
My only take on the McDavid/Myers suspension is that they should both be allowed to play in the Oilers-Canucks rematch on Thursday. Chaos > law & order
Canucks fan between2Pipes @between2pipes
Oilers fans are such babies, if Quinn Hughes high sticked Hyman in the face they would lose their absolute sh*t about that too and call for 5 games. At least Canucks fans recognize Myers deserved his suspension.
Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer
The NFL gets it.
The NHL doesn’t it.
The NFL protects their stars (the QB’s)
The NHL wants their stars to play through the “crap”.
All the while benefitting from record Revenues driven by…
you guessed it…
Their stars!
On the radio, when he heard news, Stauffer said: “Time for Connor to start saying ‘No’ to a bunch of league stuff. That’s a joke. That’s an absolute joke.”
Stauffer added that McDavid should do what NBA players do, and do some ” load management in situational US markets” in the final months of the season. “I’m bloody well serious. Enough of this crap!.. What are you about? Are you going to protect the stars or not?”
The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Servalli on Oilers Now: “There isn’t a single player in the salary cap era that has taken more abuse that’s been called less than Connor McDavid…There’s somewhere between three and four missed calls per night if you just put an iso cam on McDavid specifically. It’s because he’s so strong on his skates. He never goes down. He’s so strong that stuff that takes down other players, it doesn’t get called against him because he just keeps playing.”
Oilers Nation writer Bruce Curlock @bcurlock
Mr. Stauffer works for the Oilers. Have no doubt the owner is upset.
However absolutely nothing will happen until the owners as a collective demand it.
If people stop showing up because they think the game is a farce, owners will demand change. It will happen.
Vancouver Sun/Province sports writer Steve Ewen @SteveEwen
Think the NHL got it bang on, giving Tyler Myers and Connor McDavid identical suspensions. Did wonder about the temptation to give McDavid less, though.
Oilers fan Den Polland
This league has 0 consistency with its officiating and rulings – it’s laughable. How do you look at this play and see the same punishment? How do you compare this to the Matthews play and think this is worst (he got 2 games for roughly same or more intense cross check) to head.
Oilers fan Hug Specialist @OilersAlbMom
3 games. F*ck those refs should get the rest of the season.
Oilers fan Karman Gill @Kgill39
3 games for McDavid. 3 games for Myers.
I’m sorry but how? Myers attacked Bouchard for no reason.
McDavid cross checked Garland because he was literally mauling him and not letting him help his team score.
HOW is this fair?
Canucks blogger Daniel Wagner @passittobulis
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety doesn’t often get it right, but they made the correct call in giving Tyler Myers and Connor McDavid the same suspension.
Toronto TV host Sid Seixeiro @Sid_Seixeiro
Complete bulls***.
Oilers fan Shaedon @Shae_Nuge93
Just enough games to push more Draisaitl for Hart propaganda. No biggie
At the Cult
STAPLES: Oilers veteran sent to minor leagues, new Edmonton ace takes ice for first time in practice
McCURDY: Player grades vs Vancouver
STAPLES: “Horrible officiating”: How the McDavid crosscheck went down
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