Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has a disciplinary hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Monday and faces a possible suspension.
The seven-time All-Star was assessed a match penalty for cross-checking Canucks forward Conor Garland in the face during the final seconds of the Oilers’ 3-2 loss on Saturday in Vancouver. The incident led to a scrum of players on the ice.
McDavid, 28, has 65 points (20 goals, 45 assists) through 43 games. The three-time Hart Trophy winner earned 15 penalty minutes on Saturday after entering the night with only 14 on the season.
“Connor gets frustrated, and he gets his stick up,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He’s frustrated because we’re down one goal and the best player in the league is getting held for 15 seconds.”
Garland held McDavid and the pair wrestled to the ice before McDavid retaliated with the cross check.
“I’m just holding him,” Garland told reporters after the game. “I mean, he’s the best player to ever do it. So, the time’s running out. And I just thought that was maybe the best way for us to win a game was to do that. I don’t want to hurt him.
“You know, I don’t want to hurt him, want to hold him and hurt him in that way. So, just try to get up and hold him down,” he said.
“But he’s a passionate guy. He’s a good dude. I mean, I don’t think he was just his passion. It’s a tight game late in the game. Everybody has the fire in their belly trying to win a hockey game. So that’s the stuff that happens.”
McDavid’s only suspension so far in his 10-year career was a two-game ban in February 2019 after an illegal check to the head against New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy.
–Field Level Media
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