NHL player cheap-shots ref, NHL takes no action
Before the puck was ever dropped between the Canucks and Sharks Sunday night, two amazing things happened.
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The Vancouver Canucks’ Jannik Hansen.(Photo: Darryl Dyck, AP)
Before the puck was ever dropped between the Canucks and Sharks Sunday night, two ridiculous things happened.
1. The Canucks’ Alex Burrows and the Sharks’ Logan Couture slapped each other.
OK, not atypical of an NHL face-off. A little contact, escalates to more contact, escalates to some tough-guying. However, this was not a typical NHL face-off because …
2. The Canucks’ Jannik Hansen decided this would be the perfect time to cross-check referee Dave Jackson.
The entire sequence of events is inexplicable. But even more bizarre is the NHL’s inaction.
“I have seen no referee’s report referencing the incident,” NHL Vice President of Communications John Dellapina told CBS Sports[1].
Burrows and Clowe received minor penalties, and that appears to be the extent of the NHL’s discipline in the matter, since both players played Monday night.
Question: Is there any league in any sport that would allow this sequence of events to happen?
No. Nowhere. Zero leagues. WWE referees get more respect than Dave Jackson.
NHL head disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan has a history of being heavy handed[2] when it comes to suspensions. When an incident involves an official, one can imagine the ramifications will be severe.
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