- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith praised Vasily Podkolzin on X for fighting Drew Helleson
- Podkolzin was tossed with 27 penalty minutes after standing up for Connor McDavid
- Read below for the premier’s post and video of the fight
Vasily Podkolzin has a fan in the Alberta government.
Premier Danielle Smith praised the Oilers winger on Friday morning for fighting Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson after Helleson drove Connor McDavid into the Anaheim net on Thursday night. Smith posted her reaction on X:
Podkolzin went straight at Helleson after the hit and kept throwing while Helleson hesitated. The referee called it a one-man fight, so Podkolzin took a two-minute instigator, a five-minute fighting major and a game misconduct. That added up to 27 penalty minutes in 2:35 of ice time. Helleson got two minutes for roughing, and Edmonton lost 5-4.
Take a look at the hit and the fight:
McDavid explained his side after the game. He was asked about the play and called it “dangerous,” saying he wants the league to treat hits into the net like hits into the end boards. We broke that down in McDavid’s full postgame comments.
Oilers fans were furious that Podkolzin got the major and the early exit while Helleson sat for two, and plenty of others were just glad someone answered for the hit. We covered the fight and the reaction on Thursday night.
Podkolzin has done this before. Last January, Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic hit McDavid high, and Podkolzin dropped the gloves right away. Here’s that fight:
Two fights, same trigger, and the premier of the province noticed this one.
