After Tampa Bay Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand dished out a shove to the face of Bobby McMann, the Toronto Maple Leafs forward’s stick came down and struck his opponent in the helmet.
The Lightning bench erupted after it happened, leading to McMann being given a match penalty and ultimately, a one-game suspension from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
Advertisement
Mere seconds before the McMann incident, Gage Goncalves collided knee-on-knee with Maple Leafs defenseman Dakota Mermis, forcing the forward out of the game with an injury. He’s now expected to miss a month “at least,” head coach Craig Berube said on Wednesday afternoon.
The NHL was silent regarding any potential discipline for Golcalves, whose hit on Mermis started everything else that occurred at center ice. Toronto eventually came out with a 2-0 win, however, days later, Berube wasn’t happy that McMann was the only player to face discipline.
“To be honest with you, I don’t really know. I mean, I think we lose a guy for probably a month at least,” Berube added. “I thought it was more of (McMann) getting kind of bumped and the stick kind of [comes down]. I know you’ve got to be in control of your stick, but I don’t think it’s worth the suspension.”
According to NHL Player Safety, “After being shoved by Bjorkstrand, McMann brings the raised stick downwards towards Bjorkstrand from a dangerous height, striking him in the head with sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline. This is high sticking,” they said in a video, explaining the one-game suspension.
Advertisement
“It is important to note that this is not the typical motion of a player merely bringing a raised stick down to the ice and accidentally making contact with an opponent. This is also not a situation where a player simply loses control of his stick, or where an off-balance player is careless in an attempt to steady himself.
“McMann is in full control of both his stick and his own body at all times during this play, and simply must display more control to ensure his stick does not directly strike his opponent’s head in this situation.”
This is the first time McMann has ever faced supplemental discipline in the NHL over his 169-game career. McMann had been playing fairly well as of late, scoring six points in his last five games. Through 29 appearances this season, the forward has tallied eight goals and 14 points.
Latest Stories:
Advertisement
Report: Maple Leafs And Chris Tanev To Decide Whether Defenseman Needs Surgery For Upper-Body Injury
