Hockey fans are quite divided on an incident that took place late in Saturday night’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. With less than a minute remaining, Connor McDavid was taken to the ice and held there by Conor Garland, which the Canucks forward admitted to doing afterward. While Garland’s actions may have warranted a two-minute minor, what happened immediately after was what everyone has been talking about.
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McDavid, who was clearly frustrated with Garland, got up and went after him. Eventually, he lifted his stick and cross-checked the agitating winger in the face. Thankfully, Garland was okay, but that didn’t stop the refs from handing McDavid a match penalty.
McDavid is likely to be suspended for the incident, as the NHL’s Department of Player Safety (DoPS) confirmed that he will be having a phone hearing. While the play was one that seemingly everyone agrees is deserving of a suspension, you have some, including a former Oilers defenceman, who believes what McDavid did could benefit him moving forward.
Chris Pronger Defends McDavid Standing Up for Himself
In terms of meanness on the back end, there may be no former defenceman that comes to mind more than Chris Pronger. The former Hart Trophy winner and Hall-of-Fame blueliner helped lead the Oilers to a Stanley Cup run in 2006, and went on to hoist the Cup with the Anaheim Ducks the following season.
While Pronger was an elite defenceman in nearly every single aspect of the game, he may be remembered for how difficult he made life for his opponents than anything else. Whether it was throwing a hard hit, dropping the gloves, or even laying the lumber on players, he was respected in part due to how much everyone feared him.
On Sunday, Pronger took to X to say that he loved what McDavid did, believing it would create more time and space for him moving forward, while also causing opponents to second-guess themselves before trying to go after him in the way that Garland did. While Pronger did make it clear he needs to be sure to do so in ways that won’t get him suspended, he seemed to be a big fan of the Oilers captain sticking up for himself.
“Actually love it. Needs to do this more often,” Pronger said. “Maybe not to the level of suspension like this but it will give him some extra space. Teams key on taking time and space away from him and try to frustrate him. Taking it into your own hands is good … sometimes.”
Opinions seemed to be varied on Pronger’s take. Some agreed, while others suggested there are other ways to do it than cross-checking someone in the face. To Pronger’s credit, he responded to many fans and agreed with that sentiment, but still overall felt it was a good move for McDavid to show the entire NHL that he isn’t a player that’s going to get pushed around.
Garland Understanding of McDavid’s Frustration
While some Canucks fans were furious with McDavid, Garland himself seemed to take no issue with the incident. The 28-year-old not only gave credit to McDavid for playing with passion, but also paid him a major compliment.
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“I’m just holding him,” Garland said. “He’s the best player to ever do it. The times running out, and I just thought that was maybe the best way for us to win a game, was to do that. I don’t want to hurt him, I want to hold him, not hurt him in any way. Just tried to get up and hold him down. He’s a passionate guy, a good dude. It’s just his passion. Tight game, late in the game everybody has that fire in their belly trying to win a hockey game, so that’s stuff that happens.”
McDavid Will Miss Some Time
Barring a shocking decision by the DoPS, the Oilers will be without McDavid moving forward. He has one other suspension in his career, coming back in 2019 when he was handed two games for an illegal check to the head on then-New York Islanders defenceman Nick Leddy. The suspension isn’t likely to be a lengthy one, but the Oilers should fully expect to be without him for the next game or two.
