Images by Bob Frid-Imagn
Connor McDavid and Tyler Myers received three-game suspensions for separate cross-checks late in the game between Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.
In the last seconds of the match between Edmonton and Vancouver, the Oilers were losing 3-2 and were looking for an equalizer with the goalkeeper down.
On the play, McDavid and the Canucks’ Conor Garland became tangled near the blue line in the Vancouver zone. The two continued to fight for more than 10 seconds before standing up.
The NHL Department of Player Safety said Garland pinned McDavid while McDavid also threw a gloved punch.
“Then, with the puck on the half-wall, McDavid turns toward Garland, approaches him, pulls back his stick with both hands and intentionally hits Garland hard in the head,” the team says. The department video said.
Finally, McDavid threw a high cross check to the side of Garland’s head. The play was stopped with two seconds left when a crowd of shoving emerged.
At the side of the scrum, Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard was alone with Myers. The Canucks blueliner gave Bouchard a high cross check.
In explaining Myers’ suspensionNHL Player Safety noted that both players exchanged light cuts, which earned them minor penalties. When Bouchard approached Myers, the latter grabbed his baton with both hands, raised it and struck him.
“This cross-check is clearly delivered to Bouchard’s head, and although we have heard Myers’ statement that he does not intend to hit Bouchard in this manner, players are responsible for their stick at all times,” the video said. .
McDavid and Myers received match penalties on the play with two seconds left in the game.
The Oilers and Canucks will have a rematch Thursday at Rogers Place. However, McDavid and Myers will miss that game.
McDavid will also miss Edmonton’s date with the Washington Capitals on Tuesday and their game on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. Myers is not eligible to play against the Sabres, the team that drafted him 12th overall in 2008, or the Capitals on Saturday.
NHL Player Safety has disciplined both players before. In 2019, McDavid received a two-game suspension for an illegal check on Nick Leddy of the New York Islanders.
Myers has been suspended several times throughout his career. The first was in 2012, when he served a three-game suspension for tackling Scott Gomez of the Montreal Canadiens. Two years later, he was given another three-game suspension for a high hit on Danius Zubrus of the New Jersey Devils.
More to come.
Related: McDavid and Garland incident proves obstruction is still alive and well
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