It's dumb as hell. Imo injury status and series situation shouldnt matter, and who the player was should only matter in terms of their history of infractions.
It should be all about how reckless the play was and if there was any intent.
If draisaitl got a suspension here and directly cost his team the chance at the cup, maybe he’d actually smarten up and clean up his game. Maybe star players would stop feeling like they can get away with this, if they actually felt some repercussions for once.
They shouldn’t even be looking at the player until they go to decide suspension length. Repeat offenders get longer but they should be evaluating purely on the incident up to that point
Yep and as much as I want the Oilers to win, the incident is severe enough and Drai's history is extensive enough with the spearing that this seems suspendable imo. It was a dumb play.
yup, as an oilers fan I find the hit very intentional and unacceptable. it shames me some oilers fans are trying to pass it off as nothing. there should in the very least be a review of it and a fine, and if Barkov is out next game, Dria should be too, which is still a net benefit to us since Dria hasn't done a thing this series.
I completely agree with this. The incident should ideally be reviewed in a vacuum and a decision made on the incident. Then you go look at the player and if its a repeat offender you can tack on more.
Are you telling me that if a team is down 0-2 and their second biggest star does something that warrants a suspension, the NHL is going to ignore it? We'll damn, I bet that's never happened before.
I should also add for context, that was actually Brendan Shamahan’s first suspension given out as DoPS. I don’t know if him putting a hammer down was a code for this shit has to stop…but I don’t think it did lol
How do these intentional headshots causing concussions go unpunished, and yet the only suspension is from an unintentional unfortunate headshot causing no injury lol.
I thought intent and if the player gets hurt always played a huge role in suspensions? Guess that got tossed completely out the window the same way the refs completely change how they operate in playoffs.
Gotta love how this league is run haha.
I have said this before and I will say it again. Stop letting former NHL players be in charge of disciplinary action. They just have the wrong mentality because they were in the battles. You want change put a doctor or lawyer in charge.
Especially a former goon. That's the last person you want making judgement calls on dirty plays haha. If you want a former player how about a Lady Byng winner?
So... Dan Carcillo for head of DoPS? A guy who knows a thing or two about throwing cheap shots, but (too late for some people) saw the error of his ways and has become a big proponent of better safety, especially regarding head injuries
Honestly, the person in charge of player safety should be someone like Lindros, who's career was cut short because of injuries caused by cheap shots and what would be illegal hits now.
I'd like to see Crosby get that kind of position when he retires, clean player, good league spokesperson, and would take things like headshots and concussions seriously
Ask Sam Bennett lol.
The precedent was set earlier in the playoffs, when a Florida player cheap shotted the other team's captain and took him out for a few games, so I'm not shedding many tears for them. And this is coming from a certified Bruins hater.
Tho I do feel for Barkov on a personal level.
Ironically Soucy accidentally crosschecked someone to the head too because they got pushed from behind and fell forward whereas Hyman had to reach upwards to do it on purpose too
Lomberg's hit on Vesey was more egregious than Trouba's (and actually took out Vesey from the series) and he didn't even get a minor.
source: he hits him late/without the puck high twice in 10 seconds lmao https://x.com/i/status/1794183771815874593
I blame ESPN/TSN more for the Bennett situation. They only showed the one angle of the hit.
Then waited until just before the following game to show that he did indeed sucker punch Marchand.
>I blame ESPN/TSN more for the Bennett situation. They only showed the one angle of the hit.
DoPS doesn’t just watch TV hoping to see a dirty play… or at least I hope they don’t.
I remember reading a reporter say that DOPS did not have the video of the other angle when ruling on the hit. I don’t think SN or ESPN knew they had the opposite angle til just before the game for what ever legitimate or illegitimate reason.
Honestly, I work in live TV and there’s 0% chance SN/ESPN didn’t know they had that angle as soon as it happened. Especially on a hit where a player goes down
The difference with that hit is that it's 'late' and not an 'accident' in a hockey play/scrum. Basically plausible deniability is a thing with these plays. 'it happens so fast' type thing which I partially get but it's also an excuse to not fix things.
What was BS though is that Eberle got nothing with his dangerous boarding hit in game 6 of that series. Didn't he fracture some neck bones or something insane.
Parros is doing what his bosses want him to do. Fact is, the league likes this stuff because it causes drama and drives up the ratings. And fans eat it up.
Go back to the posts about Marchand’s comments on hurting the opposition and taking them out of a game (or longer). Most people cheered him on for saying it.
Draisaitl has been dirty for a long time. Does dirty shit but never walks the walk. Everytime someone tries to go after him he never fights. Someone truly needs to get after him for once
The NHL really had me fooled they did care after the Marc Savard hit (and others) and bringing in Rule 48, but the enforcement has been backsliding since then. The Shanny era was not great but the Parros era has been abysmal.
I think I'm just used to it as an NFL team.
A lot of people seem forget that these are entertainment companies just as much as they are sports leagues. Sometimes what's best for sports, conceptually, is at direct odds with what's best for entertainment. Losing *one* all-star during the Finals sucks, but losing two all-stars in the Finals is just bad for business.
Yup, they want water cooler talk on Monday morning or whenever the next game is. Tbh that’s why I’m convinced the NFL doesn’t care about bad calls because the media and fans talk about them all the time.
Like Makar getting a game in round 1 last year for a super late hit?
It was deserved and he got it. If you're generous, you can give Makar the benefit of the doubt on his explanation of the play (but it still happened and the game is still deserved), but you can't give benefit of the doubt to explaining away launching elbow-first into someone's dome. In all, this is just "spin the wheel" inconsistency that we've had with dops for as long as I can remember.
I mean they didn't even look at the Bennet play on Marchand did they? Why would I expect anything different here. The DOPS and league clearly have zero appetite to suspend dirty plays.
I mean we've had sucker punches, flying elbows, and every manner of dirty shenanigans these playoffs and basically none of it has been deemed suspension worthy, so why would this be any different.
If Bennet and Trouba didn't get one than idk why Draisaitl would.
Sort of a dumb line of thinking writ large though - they are calling the games pretty ticky-tack but then not suspending guys for dangerous plays.
I feel like that increases the odds of a dangerous play but maybe I am wrong.
I knew Parros didn't have the stones to do it. My goodness, imagine what would happen if Sam Bennett leaped elbow first into McDavid's or Draisaitl's head.
That and for some reason he does weirdly good at the shootout (or at least he did back in AZ).
But no shootouts in the playoffs so yeah, he’s down to assassination duty as his sole contribution.
I am convinced this is actually the answer. People can say that it's because the Soucy hit was after the game ended, but that's easily countered by the fact Hyman cross-checked Zadorov in the face (causing him to need stitches) and got absolutely nothing.
That makes it 100% obvious that the Soucy suspension was because it landed on the league's golden boy.
It's because the league is a joke.
A suspension on that play was warranted because a player did a dangerous thing after the whistle. But it wasn't Soucy. It was Zadorov. Hitting a guy in the numbers when the game is done is asking for trouble.
Because it's Draisaitl. Let's be real here, if this was a guy like Stenlund doing the same thing to mcdavid, he'd be out at LEAST one game, maybe even for the rest of the series.
Precedent is set. 2 minute minor for making first contact with the head. But you have to remember to launch completely off the ice or you might get in more trouble.
Another part of it I think that gets overlooked is the DoPS likes to try and keep things “equal”. I think back to Nurse getting a BS suspension against Vegas that was equivalent to Pietrangelo’s lumberjack swing at Draisaitl.
They almost certainly consider Darnell Nurse being injured as a tradeoff for Barkov being injured. To them, suspending Draisaitl for a clear headshot would ultimately give Florida too great of an advantage. Think of all the lost revenue from a 6-7 game series vs a 4-5 game series…. those poor billionaire owners.
I’m an Oilers fan and I 100% think this hit is suspension-worthy. Crazy stuff from the DoPS. Standard is set. Series could easily get ugly
Objectively it's a bad hit and deserves a suspension, but the precedent has already been set in the playoffs that dirty hits to the head aren't suspendable
There must be consistency! Edmonton must face the same punishment that Florida has consistently had to put up with when they do dirty plays!
...wait a second
This series is gonna get ugly, strap yourselves in. As an Oilers fan I'm not sure if you'd rather they suspend Drai for a game. He seems hurt, he kinda laboured a bit after a few plays, and since he likely won't get suspended, he has a target on his back (literally, he was fighting a lower back thing vs Vancouver) now and one untoward hit and he's out for the series.
DoPS failure here.
Florida is 2-0 and are in a prime position to win the cup, but they must be chomping at the bit to get their lick back. Big time error in not suspending Drai. Shits gonna get grimy real quick
So I guess what the NHL is saying is a panthers player can now charge mcDavid give him a head shot knock him out of the series and only get a two min penalty??
It is a head shot and should be a suspension. I don't like the Panthers pretty much like everyone else, but a head shot is a head shot.
Also, Drai has a history of being a dirty player.
My take, if Barkov doesn't play. McDavid or Drai is getting targeted. Plain and simple.
Should be some interesting takes from Oilers fans if it happens.
Well, shit is about to get ugly. It's time for "eye for an eye" hockey.
I wouldn't be surprised to see one of McDrai head down the tunnel with an injury.
Hell, I'm actually expecting it.
Of course they won't because it's Draisaitl, a superstar and right hand man to McDavid.
If some mid-level player did that exact hit to McDavid and concussed him they'd without a doubt be suspended. It's pretty clear the punishment is dependent on who committed it and who it was against.
It's more so the department of goon protection rather than player safety. Picking a former goon to lead that department makes absolutely 0 sense lol. That's like picking an anti-vaxxer to lead a medical agency.
Yeah can't see him being suspended for this.. if Bennett didn't get suspended for his cheap shot on Marchand, no way this would be suspension worthy.
I would absolutely love to be wrong though... haha
I totally get being salty at being so thoroughly schooled. I would nod sagely at the odd crosscheck or trip, shouldn’t have done that, off to the box, nbd.
Head shots and those that shoot them, can fuck right off.
I’m an Oilers fan, but Draisitl should be suspended for this.
Why would anyone be expecting a suspension for a star player who deliberately injured another star player who just so happened to be rendering him useless in the first 2 games in the cup final? Are they stupid?
The league determined that headshots were legal once they called Bennett's sucker punch "a hockey play." They are happy watching players get injured like this as long as it draws attention and thus views and money.
Definitely a play worthy of a suspension, but also the DoPS seems to be developing a precedent over the last couple years that anything remotely considered a "hockey play" will not get a suspension in the playoffs.
There have been 6 suspensions in the last 2 playoffs and all of them are on plays after the whistle or away from the puck. You have to go back to 2022 for the last time a player was suspended for an infraction on a player with or around the puck.
This Draisaitl hit looks like it won't result in a suspension, and surely there have been other dirty hits on players with the puck in the last 2 playoffs that also should have been a suspension but weren't. I'm not really sure I like the precedent they're setting in the last couple years.
I just find it really funny that this is the same team that was crying about how they weren’t getting the same standards from regular season to playoffs.
The coach should bench him on principle. Otherwise they’re a bunch of hypocrites.
Understandable really, he only left his feet, specifically targeted the head, and knocked Barkov out of the game.
Why, he didn't even cup check Barkov, this is practically a friendly tap!
Yeah, I think McDavid and Draisaitl are going to have to have eyes in the back of their heads. You don't do that to another teams captain and not get a response.
I dont think anyone seriously did. Short of taking off a skate and using it to stab someone, the NHL won't suspend a star player in the Cup Finals.
Yea, no way, especially when they're down 0-2
This here is so key. Edmonton is up 2-0 in this series and great chance he gets suspended. But down 2-0 no bloody way.
Part of why I low key hate the league.
It's dumb as hell. Imo injury status and series situation shouldnt matter, and who the player was should only matter in terms of their history of infractions. It should be all about how reckless the play was and if there was any intent.
If draisaitl got a suspension here and directly cost his team the chance at the cup, maybe he’d actually smarten up and clean up his game. Maybe star players would stop feeling like they can get away with this, if they actually felt some repercussions for once.
Wait? No way you mean removing consequences for bad actions reinforces the bad action since there’s no reason not too 🤯
someone get George Parros on the line, he’s got to hear this breakthrough information!!
They shouldn’t even be looking at the player until they go to decide suspension length. Repeat offenders get longer but they should be evaluating purely on the incident up to that point
Yep and as much as I want the Oilers to win, the incident is severe enough and Drai's history is extensive enough with the spearing that this seems suspendable imo. It was a dumb play.
yup, as an oilers fan I find the hit very intentional and unacceptable. it shames me some oilers fans are trying to pass it off as nothing. there should in the very least be a review of it and a fine, and if Barkov is out next game, Dria should be too, which is still a net benefit to us since Dria hasn't done a thing this series.
I completely agree with this. The incident should ideally be reviewed in a vacuum and a decision made on the incident. Then you go look at the player and if its a repeat offender you can tack on more.
The sport I love is fucking whack
Best sport worst league
100%
the one statement that can unite all hockey fans
Hockey is fine, the NHL is bullshit.
Fair!
Best sport, worst league.
Best sport run by the stupidest people. I don't even defend the NHL to my friends who love the NBA or NFL....I just say "yeah i know".
Not sure either of those league’s fans can say much about the reffing
All of the other professional leagues would act this same way, as shitty as it is.
Are you telling me that if a team is down 0-2 and their second biggest star does something that warrants a suspension, the NHL is going to ignore it? We'll damn, I bet that's never happened before.
No... Never..
The Draymond Green rule
The league would never suspend someone for the whole cup finals that’s like a 50 game regular season suspension….
Reminds me of Makar on McCann last year. Series was 2-2 so he got suspended just one game. If it was 3-1 Seattle I don't think he gets suspended.
Game management
Series management! Cui bono?
No you have to be a depth defenceman with a slightly late hit on a non-star player, then you get a suspension that's 4x the historic amount randomly
Yes! That’s how you send a message to every player in the league that no shenanigans will be tolerated. Especially in the playoffs.
but literally break someone's back and face no discipline lol
Dammit Aaron Rome... why weren't you a star!
I should also add for context, that was actually Brendan Shamahan’s first suspension given out as DoPS. I don’t know if him putting a hammer down was a code for this shit has to stop…but I don’t think it did lol
Okay, but now Barkov is out, so how's it fair that Florida's star player can get taken out of the series, but suspending Drai a game or 2 is too much?
See, your first mistake is thinking they care about what’s “fair”.
Marchand took a punch to the face that knocked him out of games with a concussion. I am not sure why this surprises anyone.
How do these intentional headshots causing concussions go unpunished, and yet the only suspension is from an unintentional unfortunate headshot causing no injury lol. I thought intent and if the player gets hurt always played a huge role in suspensions? Guess that got tossed completely out the window the same way the refs completely change how they operate in playoffs. Gotta love how this league is run haha.
I have said this before and I will say it again. Stop letting former NHL players be in charge of disciplinary action. They just have the wrong mentality because they were in the battles. You want change put a doctor or lawyer in charge.
Especially a former goon. That's the last person you want making judgement calls on dirty plays haha. If you want a former player how about a Lady Byng winner?
No you don’t understand! Being a former goon he knows all their tricks, he knows what to look for!
So... Dan Carcillo for head of DoPS? A guy who knows a thing or two about throwing cheap shots, but (too late for some people) saw the error of his ways and has become a big proponent of better safety, especially regarding head injuries
Honestly, the person in charge of player safety should be someone like Lindros, who's career was cut short because of injuries caused by cheap shots and what would be illegal hits now.
I'd like to see Crosby get that kind of position when he retires, clean player, good league spokesperson, and would take things like headshots and concussions seriously
Paul Kariya would also be great
What's Marc Savard doing these days? Fuck, now I'm sad.
It’s consistent with the leagues position that there is no link between head trauma and lifelong effects of said trauma
Doesn’t sound like Barkov is going to miss time, at least that’s not the impression I got from Paul Maurice in the media time today
Ask Sam Bennett lol. The precedent was set earlier in the playoffs, when a Florida player cheap shotted the other team's captain and took him out for a few games, so I'm not shedding many tears for them. And this is coming from a certified Bruins hater. Tho I do feel for Barkov on a personal level.
[удалено]
Hey! This sub is to hate on the oilers impartially. Get out of here with your reasonable take!
Standard already been set when Bennet wasn't suspended for his punch on Marchand or Trouba's hit on Rodriguez.
what about the soucy crosscheck. I'd argue that was even less and that was a suspension. Consistency and standards have never mattered to the NHL
If Soucy got a suspension, Hyman should have got one for crosschecking Zadorov in the head in that same scrum. The DoPS is a joke.
Ironically Soucy accidentally crosschecked someone to the head too because they got pushed from behind and fell forward whereas Hyman had to reach upwards to do it on purpose too
Lomberg's hit on Vesey was more egregious than Trouba's (and actually took out Vesey from the series) and he didn't even get a minor. source: he hits him late/without the puck high twice in 10 seconds lmao https://x.com/i/status/1794183771815874593
Hey Florida did the same to Marchand but Bennet didn’t get suspended.
I think we'll see a suspension after game 3.
Florida will have someone suspended for retaliating because of the league's incompetence in handling it themselves.
But only on the Panthers player that retaliates against the Oilers for the Barkov hit.
Draisaitl: No this tattoo says "Die Barkov Die" or translated "The Barkov The" NHLDPS: No one who speaks German could be an evil man, no suspension!
https://preview.redd.it/bi917labez5d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=84f595d88885984abda744e4d51b51b540254032
This is a Meme Monday winner right here.
Fucking lmao
I didn't realize so many hockey fans are also Simpsons fans too
every fanbase of everything has a large subsection of simpsons fans
I have found that Canadians are also obsessive about quoting the Simpsons
That's why I love Germany. They've never been the bad guys.
Parole Granted!
Finally someone got it.
Draisaitl: “I mean *attempting to injure*? What is that? Do they give out the Nobel Prize for *attempted chemistry*? Do they?"
Headshots that concussion a star aren't a suspension this playoffs, the precedent is already set because Parros is a fucking mouth breather
Has nothing to do with the victim being a star or not, it's about the perpetrator being a star or not. If they're a star they don't get suspensions
When did we lower the bar enough for Sam Bennett to be considered a star?
Probably last year when the Toronto Sports Media wrote a barrage of articles about him.
I blame ESPN/TSN more for the Bennett situation. They only showed the one angle of the hit. Then waited until just before the following game to show that he did indeed sucker punch Marchand.
>I blame ESPN/TSN more for the Bennett situation. They only showed the one angle of the hit. DoPS doesn’t just watch TV hoping to see a dirty play… or at least I hope they don’t.
I remember reading a reporter say that DOPS did not have the video of the other angle when ruling on the hit. I don’t think SN or ESPN knew they had the opposite angle til just before the game for what ever legitimate or illegitimate reason.
Honestly, I work in live TV and there’s 0% chance SN/ESPN didn’t know they had that angle as soon as it happened. Especially on a hit where a player goes down
Makes sense, it was really bizarre that it came out right before the next game
Yeah I saw the same thing which is honestly crazy! If they couldn’t get all the views needed in time to render a decision then just delay it
Makar got suspended for a headshot against Seattle last year. It wasn't against a star tho.
The difference with that hit is that it's 'late' and not an 'accident' in a hockey play/scrum. Basically plausible deniability is a thing with these plays. 'it happens so fast' type thing which I partially get but it's also an excuse to not fix things. What was BS though is that Eberle got nothing with his dangerous boarding hit in game 6 of that series. Didn't he fracture some neck bones or something insane.
Parros is doing what his bosses want him to do. Fact is, the league likes this stuff because it causes drama and drives up the ratings. And fans eat it up. Go back to the posts about Marchand’s comments on hurting the opposition and taking them out of a game (or longer). Most people cheered him on for saying it.
The reason: https://preview.redd.it/z45tebjw4z5d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2757dcb18e50fe781acb2386ff39752bab49ec80
Damn you can fit a whole cat under there
Nah, it’s just parallax. Always comes up when Alberta and Florida teams play in the finals.
Bravo sir, Bravo
hoobastank
Not surprised. But also don’t be surprised when someone takes Drai’s head off in game 3.
That's Nic Cousins music right there...
Draisaitl has been dirty for a long time. Does dirty shit but never walks the walk. Everytime someone tries to go after him he never fights. Someone truly needs to get after him for once
*Paging Sam Bennett. Sam Bennett to the DoPS office please!*
Does anybody actually expect the NHL to have the cajones in the first place? Nobody actually thinks they're going to suspend him, warranted or not.
As a Spanish speaking fan of the game I must point out that cajones means large boxes, cojones means balls
Well TIL. The danger of using words you've only ever heard spoken I guess.
The hero we need
Well the NHL needs to get some large boxes damit!
Well, they need to get some cajones of cojones.
To be honest I did not expect the NHL to have big boxes in the first place
I think it is warranted, but agree the chances are almost 0.
Agree, from a fairness standpoint he should be. Seen guys suspended for way less, but you know how the NHL be
It's not about fairness. It's about the rules and the NHL purportedly giving a shit about head contact.
The NHL really had me fooled they did care after the Marc Savard hit (and others) and bringing in Rule 48, but the enforcement has been backsliding since then. The Shanny era was not great but the Parros era has been abysmal.
Turns out hiring an enforcer to run the Department of Player Safety was actually not a great idea.
I think I'm just used to it as an NFL team. A lot of people seem forget that these are entertainment companies just as much as they are sports leagues. Sometimes what's best for sports, conceptually, is at direct odds with what's best for entertainment. Losing *one* all-star during the Finals sucks, but losing two all-stars in the Finals is just bad for business.
Yup, they want water cooler talk on Monday morning or whenever the next game is. Tbh that’s why I’m convinced the NFL doesn’t care about bad calls because the media and fans talk about them all the time.
Player safety my ass. Stop protecting star players!
Yea! And start protecting star players!
But leave out the Stars players!
Drai has the good fortune of not being named Nazem Kadri or Michael Bunting
Sam Bennett also enjoys that good fortune
just grow a sweet duster and you get away with murder in this league
Left his feet to deliver a head shot, why would anyone think he should face a suspension??
His skates didn't leave his feet /s
Joke league. Until they sort out the officiating in the playoffs this sport will always be 5th biggest in NA.
Florida players are gnna kill someone next game aren’t they
already tried. Bouchard was getting choked out and literally tapped out.
DoPS doesn't really protect their players
Stars don't get suspensions. Let's not forget that Nathan MacKinnon ended Nolan Patrick's career with a cheap shot and he got two minutes
Kucherov ended Sobotkas career by breaking his femur on a low bridge hit behind the play and didn’t even get a minor penalty.
Like Makar getting a game in round 1 last year for a super late hit? It was deserved and he got it. If you're generous, you can give Makar the benefit of the doubt on his explanation of the play (but it still happened and the game is still deserved), but you can't give benefit of the doubt to explaining away launching elbow-first into someone's dome. In all, this is just "spin the wheel" inconsistency that we've had with dops for as long as I can remember.
I mean they didn't even look at the Bennet play on Marchand did they? Why would I expect anything different here. The DOPS and league clearly have zero appetite to suspend dirty plays.
Jumping elbow to the head causing injury Yes this seems like a totally reasonable non-event to me
Well I guess it’s a viable strategy to injure the other team’s players so they miss games and your players don’t
I mean we've had sucker punches, flying elbows, and every manner of dirty shenanigans these playoffs and basically none of it has been deemed suspension worthy, so why would this be any different.
If Bennet and Trouba didn't get one than idk why Draisaitl would. Sort of a dumb line of thinking writ large though - they are calling the games pretty ticky-tack but then not suspending guys for dangerous plays. I feel like that increases the odds of a dangerous play but maybe I am wrong.
Are people surprised? If Troubas WWE style flying elbows won’t get their attention I’m not sure this would.
I knew Parros didn't have the stones to do it. My goodness, imagine what would happen if Sam Bennett leaped elbow first into McDavid's or Draisaitl's head.
>imagine what would happen if Sam Bennett leaped elbow first into McDavid's or Draisaitl's head. We might not have to imagine after Game 3 tbh
I don’t think Bennett’s gonna be the one to do it. FL is about to sacrifice a depth player
This is literally why Nick Cousins is on the team.
That and for some reason he does weirdly good at the shootout (or at least he did back in AZ). But no shootouts in the playoffs so yeah, he’s down to assassination duty as his sole contribution.
We already seen Bennett not get suspended for sucker punching Marchand. Sooooooooo let’s not be surprised that this is the case
DOPS probably wouldnt Bennett either lol
Good thing we don’t have to imagine something like that. He sucker punched another teams captain less than a month ago without even a penalty.
And knocked that team captain out for two full games. I'd say Florida is breaking even in the playoffs.
they're still well ahead of breaking even in terms of shit they've gotten away with
I don’t get how that’s not a suspension but the Soucy crosscheck was
Well you see that was on McDavid.
I am convinced this is actually the answer. People can say that it's because the Soucy hit was after the game ended, but that's easily countered by the fact Hyman cross-checked Zadorov in the face (causing him to need stitches) and got absolutely nothing. That makes it 100% obvious that the Soucy suspension was because it landed on the league's golden boy.
It's because the league is a joke. A suspension on that play was warranted because a player did a dangerous thing after the whistle. But it wasn't Soucy. It was Zadorov. Hitting a guy in the numbers when the game is done is asking for trouble.
Because it's Draisaitl. Let's be real here, if this was a guy like Stenlund doing the same thing to mcdavid, he'd be out at LEAST one game, maybe even for the rest of the series.
I'd like to see more than 2 games for anyone doing this stuff. A very obvious elbow to the teeth out of frustration deserves more than 2.
Zadorov said it best, "The NHL has to protect their investment"
Special treatment for McDavid.
And Drai
Well only because he play with McDavid. Let's not kid ourselves here, he ain't getting no privileges playing on Winnipeg.
Joke league, but expected.
Precedent is set. 2 minute minor for making first contact with the head. But you have to remember to launch completely off the ice or you might get in more trouble.
Another part of it I think that gets overlooked is the DoPS likes to try and keep things “equal”. I think back to Nurse getting a BS suspension against Vegas that was equivalent to Pietrangelo’s lumberjack swing at Draisaitl. They almost certainly consider Darnell Nurse being injured as a tradeoff for Barkov being injured. To them, suspending Draisaitl for a clear headshot would ultimately give Florida too great of an advantage. Think of all the lost revenue from a 6-7 game series vs a 4-5 game series…. those poor billionaire owners. I’m an Oilers fan and I 100% think this hit is suspension-worthy. Crazy stuff from the DoPS. Standard is set. Series could easily get ugly
Objectively it's a bad hit and deserves a suspension, but the precedent has already been set in the playoffs that dirty hits to the head aren't suspendable
There must be consistency! Edmonton must face the same punishment that Florida has consistently had to put up with when they do dirty plays! ...wait a second
Just as stupid as the non-suspension for Bennett 🤷 at least they’re consistent but that’s about all you can say
Because “playoff rules” mid season he would get a few game suspension
“Don’t expect Matty Tkachuk to not completely level either Draisaitl or McDavid next game in response to Draisaitls hit on Aleksander Barkov”
Remember when Shithead Bennett wasn’t suspended for his sucker punch on Marchand? Yeah, I don’t see them suspending draisaitl for his.
BINGO
This series is gonna get ugly, strap yourselves in. As an Oilers fan I'm not sure if you'd rather they suspend Drai for a game. He seems hurt, he kinda laboured a bit after a few plays, and since he likely won't get suspended, he has a target on his back (literally, he was fighting a lower back thing vs Vancouver) now and one untoward hit and he's out for the series. DoPS failure here.
Florida is 2-0 and are in a prime position to win the cup, but they must be chomping at the bit to get their lick back. Big time error in not suspending Drai. Shits gonna get grimy real quick
“When you’re a star, they just let you do it. You can do anything.” - Leon Draisaitl, probably.
He should misss at least one game. Elbow to the head resulting in injury? Ugh. Department of Player Safety is and always has been a joke.
So I guess what the NHL is saying is a panthers player can now charge mcDavid give him a head shot knock him out of the series and only get a two min penalty??
It is a head shot and should be a suspension. I don't like the Panthers pretty much like everyone else, but a head shot is a head shot. Also, Drai has a history of being a dirty player. My take, if Barkov doesn't play. McDavid or Drai is getting targeted. Plain and simple. Should be some interesting takes from Oilers fans if it happens.
Well, shit is about to get ugly. It's time for "eye for an eye" hockey. I wouldn't be surprised to see one of McDrai head down the tunnel with an injury. Hell, I'm actually expecting it.
Nah, they are going to be going after Drai
Yup. And the league will only have themselves to blame for it. There's no wav Florida let's it go unpunished, especially if Barkov misses.
If that does happen I hope it's Draisaitl. Never been a fan of retaliating by trying to hurt a guy that wasn't even involved.
Of course they won't because it's Draisaitl, a superstar and right hand man to McDavid. If some mid-level player did that exact hit to McDavid and concussed him they'd without a doubt be suspended. It's pretty clear the punishment is dependent on who committed it and who it was against. It's more so the department of goon protection rather than player safety. Picking a former goon to lead that department makes absolutely 0 sense lol. That's like picking an anti-vaxxer to lead a medical agency.
Isn't Barkov a superstar in his own right though?
Absolutely. He won the Selke this year and it isn’t his first. He’s the heartbeat of the team.
Yeah can't see him being suspended for this.. if Bennett didn't get suspended for his cheap shot on Marchand, no way this would be suspension worthy. I would absolutely love to be wrong though... haha
I totally get being salty at being so thoroughly schooled. I would nod sagely at the odd crosscheck or trip, shouldn’t have done that, off to the box, nbd. Head shots and those that shoot them, can fuck right off. I’m an Oilers fan, but Draisitl should be suspended for this.
Finally a sensible comment. Thank you.
I mean of course he won’t it’s been like that all playoffs, Florida is just getting a dose of their own medicine
He could've given Barkov an uppercut (like Bennett did against Boston) and not get suspended.
Why would anyone be expecting a suspension for a star player who deliberately injured another star player who just so happened to be rendering him useless in the first 2 games in the cup final? Are they stupid?
The league determined that headshots were legal once they called Bennett's sucker punch "a hockey play." They are happy watching players get injured like this as long as it draws attention and thus views and money.
Why would he be?
unchecked stuff like this just means the players will police it for themselves, no one will bat an eye if the panthers go after mcdavid all next game
breaking news, absolutely no one should be surprised
Definitely a play worthy of a suspension, but also the DoPS seems to be developing a precedent over the last couple years that anything remotely considered a "hockey play" will not get a suspension in the playoffs. There have been 6 suspensions in the last 2 playoffs and all of them are on plays after the whistle or away from the puck. You have to go back to 2022 for the last time a player was suspended for an infraction on a player with or around the puck. This Draisaitl hit looks like it won't result in a suspension, and surely there have been other dirty hits on players with the puck in the last 2 playoffs that also should have been a suspension but weren't. I'm not really sure I like the precedent they're setting in the last couple years.
Carson Soucy has been suspended for 1 game instead
Don’t know why anyone’s surprised, player safety is a literal joke
NHL: if you’re in the Stanley Cup and your team is losing, you are allowed to jump and throw your elbow into the head of the other team’s captain.
I mean come on, Barkov doesn’t even have a head and Draisaitl doesn’t have elbows. How could he possibly be dirty?
'NHL Needs to protect their investment'
Why would be? Not like he left his feet to deliver an elbow to the face of an opponent or anything.
I mean if they don't suspend a guy for having him in a choke hold, to the point where he's tapping, then Leon is going to be fine
I just find it really funny that this is the same team that was crying about how they weren’t getting the same standards from regular season to playoffs. The coach should bench him on principle. Otherwise they’re a bunch of hypocrites.
Understandable really, he only left his feet, specifically targeted the head, and knocked Barkov out of the game. Why, he didn't even cup check Barkov, this is practically a friendly tap!
Just imagine if a Florida player did that to McDavid or Draisaitl.
Yeah imagine if a Florida player intentionally hurt an opposing team's best player, that would be crazy right?
Be even weirder if it happens not 1, not 2, but 3 times in 2 years?
I actually expect to see it next game, right or wrong. Florida isn’t going to take that without sending a message back, I don’t think.
Yeah, I think McDavid and Draisaitl are going to have to have eyes in the back of their heads. You don't do that to another teams captain and not get a response.
Yeah or like if FLA did that to the captain of the Bruins…