The Oilers make a humiliating announcement on McDavid’s punishment
Connor McDavid, the captain of the Edmonton Oilers, received a three-game suspension on Monday for crosschecking Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland in the head. Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers was given the same penalty for essentially the same offense, so it looked like a just punishment from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
However, almost everyone outside of Edmonton believes that it was a miscarriage of justice, unlike anything the NHL has ever witnessed.
In an interview with Sportsnet’s Marc Spector, virtuous role model Corey Perry defended McDavid’s “taking justice into his own hands.”
Bob Stauffer, a color analyst with the Oilers, attacked the NHL for failing to shield its players (from being held by 5’7″ Conor Garland?) He criticized the Canucks for their two riots and lack of Stanley Cups. It should be mentioned that McDavid’s suspension was not the Canucks’ fault.
Stauffer wasn’t the only one who recommended that McDavid stop promoting the league. Ryan Rishaug of TSN felt compelled to respond to the numerous calls from Oilers supporters for McDavid to boycott the Four Nations competition in protest of the suspension by stating that McDavid would not do so.
There were many other social media messages from Oilers supporters who were overreacting to the incident, in addition to the reactions from Edmonton media members, and there were more than just this handful.
This hardly touches on the Oilers supporters’ calls for physical retaliation against Garland; it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Garland didn’t crosscheck anyone in the face, in case anyone forgot. He definitely gripped and obstructed McDavid, and he ought to have been punished for it. However, McDavid’s reaction—as well as the reactions of several Oilers supporters and members of the media—was and still is excessive.
However, the Oilers’ official statement was the most embarrassing response from Edmonton.
“Our captain, Connor McDavid, was suspended for three games, and the Oilers organization is sad, as are our fans. The team and our supporters are excited for him to return to the starting lineup against Seattle the following week, and we are supporting him during this process.”
It’s terrible enough that the Oilers felt compelled to issue an official statement at all. A formal statement after being suspended for three games? Why are we here? Instead of making a similar statement for Myers, the Canucks accepted the league’s penalty and went on.
Nonetheless, the statement’s most notable line is “We support him through this process.”
What procedure? The suspension process is now complete. When he misses three games, how much help does he need?
“We support him through this process” is the kind of statement a team could make about a player taking time off for a significant personal issue, not about someone who has been suspended for three games in a row, and with good reason. The Oilers make a humiliating announcement on McDavid’s punishment.
Humiliating announcement McDavid’s punishment. Their fans will now feel justified in their ridiculous reactions to this occurrence, which makes it a horribly tone-deaf and foolish remark. However, the league itself may not find it appealing. According to an official statement, the Oilers are “disappointed” and “frustrated” by a decision made by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
Rick Tocchet, the head coach of the Canucks, believes that the whole thing has been exaggerated.
“It’s a tough job for the referees; it’s a tough job for George Parros—all of it’s tough,” Tocchet stated. “I simply dislike the showmanship. Like, safeguard this? It is what it is. We’re playing Connor McDavid, and I don’t want him to get suspended. You always want to play your best, I’ll be honest. According to what I’ve been informed, he is an incredible child that excels at his game and is fantastic for our league. The game is unreal.
However, it did occur. So you handle it. Mysie is in the same situation.
Tocchet once more expressed his displeasure with the grandstanding that came from Edmonton, where people were blaming the referees and exaggerating the whole thing. The Oilers make a humiliating announcement on McDavid’s punishment.
By Tocchet’s words, “Okay, there’s a hold—a couple holds—yeah, ah, okay.” For some reason, when there were around ten seconds remaining, it wasn’t called. The high stick has been missed. We may alternate between them. It is what it is: a three-game suspension. I believe that we need to move on from this.
I asked him if he believed McDavid ought to be protected from Garland, maybe with my tongue in my cheek, and he simply chuckled and replied, “It was a hold.”
There is clearly commotion throughout the entire city of Edmonton
Maybe the Canucks ought to have issued a statement of their own:
The crosscheck to Conor Garland’s face has disappointed the Canucks organization, and we share our fans’ dissatisfaction. The team and our supporters are excited to see him return to the starting lineup against Buffalo tonight, and we are supporting him during this process.
