Connor McDavid Is A Goon, Gets Suspended 3 Games For Crosschecking A Dude In The Face
You think about some of the biggest goons to ever lace 'em up in the NHL. Guys like Bob Probert, Dave Semenko, Terry O'Reilly, Tie Domi. Guys who sent a shockwave of fear down the spine of every opposing player every time they stepped onto that ice. Guys who just weren't afraid to attempted murder someone if that's what their team needed them to do that night.
You can now add Connor McDavid to that list.
Now here's the thing--Conor Garland 10000% deserved to eat that crosscheck to the teeth. I mean there's not a single thing wrong with what McDavid did here. It's BAFFLING that Garland could just tackle McDavid on the ice for 20 straight seconds and none of the refs even thought about calling a penalty. McDavid is the best hockey player on planet Earth, and you'd think the NHL would put a little emphasis on protecting him out there. No offense to Conor Garland, who is a good player and everything, but there's not a single human on planet Earth who ever turned on a random Canucks game because they wanted to see what Conor Garland was doing out there.
So if the league isn't going to protect McDavid out there, then he just needs to take matters--and his stick--into his own hands here. Personally I love the move. I think it immediately gives McDavid a little edge over Gretzky in my opinion. Gretzky had Semenko and McSorley out there doing all his dirty work for him. If McDavid can be the best hockey player in the world AND crosscheck guys in the teeth himself? That makes him the most well-rounded superstar the game has ever seen.
Between losing in the Stanley Cup Final last year and now this 3-game suspension for defending himself, I think we're coming dangerously close to getting a fully fledged out villain arc from Connor McDavid. If he just decides to cause ultimate chaos for the rest of his career, we are in for an incredible back 9 from 97.