Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid will not appeal his three-game suspension for crosschecking Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland in the head, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday.
The NHL Department of Player Safety had a disciplinary hearing with McDavid on Monday about the incident in the final seconds of the Oilers’ 3-2 loss on Saturday in Vancouver. McDavid had 48 hours to appeal the punishment to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who has rarely reduced suspensions in previous cases.
The league also suspended Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers three games for crosschecking Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard in the same game. Myers’ hit occurred during a stoppage in play, as the McDavid incident prompted a scrum of players on the ice.
“I certainly think three games is a little too much — for either side. I guess we don’t overly care about having our best players in the league in the game,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said Tuesday in reference to both players’ suspensions.
Garland held McDavid for several seconds, and the pair wrestled to the ice before McDavid, after being pulled down a second time, retaliated with the crosscheck.
“It is important to note that this is not a routine motion to box out an opponent or to gain body position,” a Department of Player Safety official said in an explanation video. “Having just been involved physically with Garland, McDavid retaliates aggressively and intentionally, escalating the altercation by raising his stick significantly and creating this contact, a high crosscheck that makes direct contact with an opponent’s head with sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline.”
Draisaitl had a different perspective.
“That’s to me, clearly a penalty (what Garland did),” Draisaitl said. “(McDavid is) trying to get back into the play. Connor doesn’t want to tangle with Garland in that situation. There’s 12 seconds left. We’re looking to score. We’re not looking to tangle with anybody. But I also know the game happens quick. The refs aren’t going to make the right call every single time. But, in that instance, I think that could have been avoided.”
McDavid will miss the Oilers’ home games Tuesday against the Washington Capitals, Thursday against Vancouver and Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. He’ll be eligible to return next Monday when the Oilers host the Seattle Kraken.
“It’s a game, you know. It’s a passion, obviously. I don’t think (McDavid) meant to do that,” Capitals star Alex Ovechkin told reporters when asked about McDavid missing Tuesday’s game. “But sucks for him, good for us. He’s not playing tonight, we’ll take it.”
McDavid will forfeit $195,312.51 for missing three games, based on his average salary, with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
The league took into consideration McDavid’s disciplinary history. He was suspended once before, a two-game ban in February 2019 after an illegal check to the head against New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy. He was also fined once.
McDavid, 28, has 65 points (20 goals, 45 assists) through 43 games this season. The three-time Hart Trophy winner earned 15 penalty minutes on Saturday after entering the night with only 14 on the season.
–Field Level Media
