-
Greg Wishynski
multiple authors
Toronto Maple Leafs Don’t believe the NHL went too far in punishing anaheim ducks guard Radko Gudas For a hit that finished off the star captain auston matthews‘ Season.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety handed Gudas a five-game suspension Friday for a “forceful, dangerous and direct knee collision” with Matthews in the second period of Toronto’s win over the Ducks on Thursday night. Matthews had to seek help from the ice. The Leafs announced Friday that their 28-year-old captain will miss the remainder of his season due to a Grade 3 MCL tear and quad contusion.
“I think the league could have done a little better considering our best player [and] our captain [is] Won’t be with us for the rest of the year. This is a big loss,” further said Matthew NeeseClassmates with Matthews this season.
Leafs players noted that Gudas had previous suspension history with the NHL, having been banned four times for a total of 21 games during his 14-year NHL career. His last suspension came in 2019, when he received two games for a high stick on tampa bay lightning Ahead Nikita Kucherov.
Veterans Center John Tavares He said the suspension “could have easily been longer” given that history and the severity of Matthews’ injury.
“I believe Auston has been put out for quite some time, okay? So that’s what’s going to happen [miss] More than five games, so it could have easily been longer. Can’t say five games is nothing, but it could have been longer,” he said.
Coach Craig Berube agreed.
He said, “Looking at it, we have lost our guy, our captain for this year. It doesn’t seem enough to me. You lose your star player for this year. The person doing this is a repeat offender. It doesn’t seem enough.”
Matthews scored 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 games this season for Toronto, and also helped Team USA win the men’s hockey gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
Tavares said, “We feel for Austin. I know how hard he has to work to play the game at a high level and help this team as best he can.”
Matthews’ injury sparked a league-wide debate over whether the NHL’s Department of Player Safety takes adequate steps to protect its players – including the fact that Gudas was given a phone hearing rather than an in-person hearing, which could have seen him suspended five games.
That debate was fueled by an inflammatory statement issued to ESPN on Friday by Matthews’ agent Jude Moldaver.
He said, “Although our CBA has a pre-determined hearing process, taking no further discipline is a reckless and ridiculous position for player safety. This decision will result in a loss of confidence in the disciplinary process for all players. Players and fans deserve better. The Department of Player Safety should be suspended.”
Nease said players hope the NHL is taking care of the safety of its stars.
He said, “To see a player fall like that and be in as much pain as he was, and a guy who repeatedly commits crimes, I don’t think it was enough. You just hope you can trust them that they are doing the right thing.”
Bérubé said: “They have a job to do, and for the most part they do a really good job. We would obviously be upset by a suspension because it happened to our player.”
Toronto visits Buffalo on Saturday night.
