EDMONTON 鈥� Connor McDavid admitted that he's not proud of cross-checking an opponent on the face. But, the Edmonton Oilers captain and three-time Hart Trophy winner said that NHL officials need to be more consistent in the way that they call games.
McDavid spoke to the media Tuesday at Rogers Place, after serving the first of a three-game suspension for his cross-check on Canucks forward Conor Garland late in the third period of Saturday鈥檚 3-2 loss in Vancouver.
Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers also got a three-game ban for delivering a similar blow to the face of Oiler Evan Bouchard during the ensuing melee.
The Oilers host the Canucks Thursday.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 necessarily agree with it,鈥� McDavid said of the three-game ban. 鈥淚鈥檓 not saying that there shouldn鈥檛 have been any penalty of any suspension or anything like that鈥� A little bit harsh but I understand their decision and got to move on.鈥�
The Oilers pulled goalie Stuart Skinner late in the third period of Saturday鈥檚 game in an attempt to get the tying goal. The Oilers had possession in the Canucks zone, when Garland and McDavid became entangled in front of the net. Garland pinned McDavid to the ice, which not only immobilized a key scoring threat, but made it impossible for the Oilers to blast pucks from the point. Frustrated, McDavid rose and cross-checked Garland.
鈥淚鈥檓 not really looking to engage with him,鈥� McDavid said. 鈥淭here was lots of holding, holding down, and he holds my head down for a little bit and stuff like that. But I can鈥檛 have that reaction. I know that. Everyone knows that.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not the reaction that I鈥檓 proud of or anyone wants to see out of me. I understand that. That being said, obviously, there are lots of infractions going on there. Maybe the whole thing鈥檚 avoided with a blow of the whistle or something like that.鈥�
The McDavid-Garland incident rekindled the debate about how penalties are called in the NHL. Is a penalty in the first period still a penalty late in the third? Do superstars not get the benefit of the doubt when they try to force their way through holds, hooks and interference?
The Oilers are 27th in the league in drawing penalties this season, despite being one of the top puck-possession teams in the league.
鈥淎 penalty in the first is a penalty in the third,鈥� said McDavid. 鈥淎 penalty in October is a penalty in April. I think guys just want that standard, we want that consistency.鈥�
McDavid said that in his hearing, he was told by league officials that he had a 鈥渉istory鈥� of questionable hits. In 2019, McDavid received a two-game suspension for a high hit on New York Islander Nick Leddy. Last week, Marcus Johansson of the Minnesota Wild was injured in a collision with McDavid. The Oilers star said the hit was an accident, and he feels terrible about Johansson, who has yet to return to action.
鈥淥bviously, I鈥檓 trying not to hurt guys,鈥� McDavid said. 鈥淚鈥檓 thinking 鈥榟ow am I going to score, how am I going to make plays? How am I going to help the team win?鈥� It鈥檚 not 鈥榳ho am I going to elbow next?鈥欌��
McDavid鈥檚 absence was felt Tuesday in the Oilers鈥� 3-2 loss to the league-pacing Washington Capitals. The Oilers had a power-play in the final two minutes and pulled Skinner to make it a six-on-four. But, without McDavid zigzagging throughout the offensive zone, the Caps鈥� penalty killers were able to block shooting lanes and frustrate the Oilers.
Meanwhile, the Canucks lost 3-2 at home to the Buffalo Sabres, currently the Eastern Conference basement dwellers.
Canucks鈥� coach Rick Tocchet said he鈥檇 rather face the Oilers with McDavid in the lineup than without him.
鈥淚 don't want Connor McDavid to get suspended,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e're playing them. Honestly, you want to play the best. I mean, he鈥檚 terrific for our league. He's an unbelievable kid, from what I've been told, the way he works at his game, unreal for the game. It happened. So you deal with it. It's the same thing with [Myers].鈥�
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said he doesn鈥檛 expect Thursday鈥檚 game to get out of hand. Vancouver and Edmonton met in the previous season鈥檚 playoffs, a memorable seven-game series. While each game was emotional, Knoblauch said there was no carryover of bad blood from one game to the next.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel there was any extra energy or intensity after McDavid got the cross-check in the playoff game,鈥� Knoblauch said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the next game was any more amped up than the previous games. So, I think this will be a game that鈥檚 always played the way it is when there are two rivals playing.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2025.
Steven Sandor, The Canadian Press
