Connor McDavid's Suspension Decision Officially Announced
The NHL Department of Player Safety has officially unveiled their verdict regarding Connor McDavid's vicious cross-check on Vancouver's Conor Garland.
On Saturday night, a Pacific Division matchup between the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers was marred in a bit of controversy as Connor McDavid's cross-check on Vancouver's Conor Garland was the icing on the cake of a 3-2 loss.
McDavid was given a match penalty for the incident, which was subject to review automatically by the NHL Department of Player Safety, and while he had hoped to avoid any further punishment, it seems the League thought otherwise.
The NHL Department of Player Safety Suspends Connor McDavid Three Games
While he is positioned as the League's golden boy, McDavid's suspension shows he's not bulletproof. Having one already under his belt previously probably didn't help, but for the most part he stays out of trouble.
There was really no reason for McDavid to act out the way he did, as Garland merely just kept repositioning himself to be a nuisance to the Oilers superstar. Was it annoying? Probably, but not something worthy of a stick to the face.
While it could be argued that there's a hold from Garland on McDavid, it's just par for the course in the game of hockey. Refs often miss several calls and aren't perfect, so while it's frustrating for McDavid to feel cheated, he handicapped his team.
The League also handed out a suspension to Vancouver's Tyler Myers after he gave defenseman Evan Bouchard a receipt on behalf of Garland with a cross-check of his own.
It will be up to Edmonton's other stars to carry the load while McDavid is out as they head into their next game against the league-leading Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.
This season, the Oilers superstar has been his usual self with 20 goals and 45 assists in 43 games.
