The department of player safety with the NHL has handed down some punishment today. For fans who witnessed the play unfold, the suspension does not come as a surprise to anyone. Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators was the victim of a sucker punch that earned Winnipeg Jet Logan Stanley a one-game suspension. It is a physical game and sometimes players react with toughness. Furthermore, it was mostly a play that was a continuation of the action, it wasn’t planned or something like that. This does seem like a crime that was fit by the time.
Jets Logan Stanley Suspension for One Game
Stanley is a big dude, nothing he does is sneaky. This really just seemed like a situation that if you start something, when would the participants consider the scuffle to be finished. It could be tough to predict that Brady was unwilling to fight after coming back from his thumb surgery, and fairly so.
The Suspension is No Real Surprise
Brady Tkachuk is always willing to throw down. In his mind, it does make sense that he doesn’t want to fight. The bench chirping in was also uncalled for, when a player was already noticeably angry. Still, Tkachuk probably earned the 10-minute misconduct he was sentenced to for getting upset on the ice.
For the Stanley play, it seemed like he just barely seen the punch coming, but was just in no way expecting it, and in fact, looking to the official at the time. It was a sucker punch, as Tkachuk’s gloves were on his hands. But we digress.
The department of player safety wants to do its best to protect its players. One of the main targets for providing protection, is for the players and the prevention of head injuries. Therefore, this act by Stanley could be seen as a direct violation of that line of thinking.
Main Photo Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images