HIGHLIGHTS
- Connor McDavid has been punished for his cross-check on Conor Garland
- The NHL handed the Oilers superstar a three-game suspension on Monday
- Read below for the full story
The NHL has punished Connor McDavid for his cross-check on Conor Garland during Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Late in the third period of the Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks matchup, McDavid and Garland got tangled up and the Canucks winger got under McDavid’s skin enough that the three-time Hart Trophy winner cross-checked Garland in the head. He received a match penalty and on Monday, the league slapped him with a three-game suspension:
Edmonton’s Connor McDavid has been suspended for three games for cross-checking Vancouver’s Conor Garland. https://t.co/hxR9X8Z2Ml
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 20, 2025
The Oilers ultimately lost a 3-2 thriller. It’s not often you see Connor McDavid get that angry, but he was clearly not happy with Garland’s antics and ended up acting out of character.
Many believed the suspension would be two games at most because the best player in the world typically gets special treatment from the league. However, this time, they didn’t hold back.
Speaking after Saturday’s contest, Garland shed light on the play. Per Sportsnet:
“I’m just holding him. 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,” Garland said of the battle. “I don’t want to hurt him.”
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch meanwhile took issue with Garland holding onto his franchise player so long and didn’t exactly agree with the ejection:
“Absolutely, there’s a rivalry and Connor gets frustrated. He gets his stick up, and he’s frustrated because we’re down one goal and the best player in the league is getting held for 15 seconds,” Knoblauch said. “And there’s frustration that’s allowed to happen, and the stick got up, and yeah, so that’s what happened.”
Drama ensued after the play as Leon Draisaitl got into it with Garland over the incident. The Oilers are back in action against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night and will need to get by without McDavid.