No one in the NHL world has forgotten about the recent three-game suspension received by the Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. Indeed, the #97 got himself into trouble and forced the officials to make this decision after the Oilers’ match against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena when he gave the opponent’s right winger, Conor Garland, a cross-check to his head.

It wasn’t any normal hit, as McDavid was wearing his ice hockey kit as usual, and it could’ve been really dangerous if things had decided to turn south. However, nothing happened to Garland, and later on, the Oilers’ captain was given the penalty. Recently, when a few questions surrounding the officials’ decision came at the direction of the NHL commissioner, he defended them, giving a final verdict on McDavid’s situation.

So let me give a recap to those who forgot what happened at Rogers Arena. On January 18, the Oilers met the Canucks on their home turf. Indeed, many expected Connor McDavid’s team to secure the victory and get those crucial points to lock their seat in the playoffs from the mid-season. However, at the time it was the third period in the match, the Canucks were winning by 3-2, and the Oilers were desperate to score.

In the final few seconds, when the puck came toward McDavid, he tried to score, but Garland made sure he didn’t. While the Canucks’ right winger put the puck away from the Oilers’ captain, both of them got entangled, and McDavid fell on his opponent. At first, it was a hilarious sight, but tensions grew as the #97 was trying to get back on his skates, only to be grabbed by the Canucks’ right winger. And the moment he got up, he gave him a cross-check on his head, which not only resulted in a match penalty but also later on was given a three-game suspension.

As reported by the New York Times, Gary Bettman shared his thoughts following Connor McDavid’s suspension, stating, “First of all, we monitor the standard that we expect from our officials on an ongoing basis and on a situational basis, and in the final analysis, there’ll continue to be debate about what happened. I respect Connor and his view. Frankly, I respect all of our players. I think in terms of supplemental discipline, cross-check to the face or the head has to be dealt with.” While he acknowledged that whatever happened was in the moment of heat, he and the other NHL officials had to be fair with their decision, and a cross-check to the head was absolutely punishable.

Bettman also revealed that he was aware of the controversy escalating toward the decisions of the referees on the ice, as the Oilers’ fans think that they didn’t do anything to stop them both from causing the incident with a few seconds remaining. “I’m not endorsing it or not. I’m just simply saying you’ve got to look at the context of the whole thing. I understand the frustration, and it’s something we’re going to continue to monitor,” said the NHL commissioner. The results could’ve been many if the game had stopped during the incident, and according to him, the referees at that time made the right decision to not interfere with just a few seconds remaining on the clock.

According to Bettman, the incident occurred under pressure, and if a similar situation occurs in the future, the NHL will continue to improve. With the Oilers losing their captain for three consecutive games, it didn’t go well for their first match against the Washington Capitals. However, the moment they had their rematch against the Canucks, this time at Rogers Place, things were quite different from the last time.

A non-Connor McDavid Oilers team taking their revenge

Tensions between the Oilers’ fans and the Canucks’ fans grew further during an interview when Vancouver’s coach Rick Tocchet slammed the fans for constantly giving negative comments about his right winger Conor Garland. “I don’t care,” said the Canucks’ right winger when asked about the ongoing controversy, fueling more to the fire. And the Oilers’ fans were just waiting for the Canucks’ arrival in Rogers Place.

The home team was equally motivated, and guess what? They showcased no mercy on ice. From the first period, Oilers’ Zach Hyman opened up with a goal, followed by teammates Leon Draisaitl and Adam Henrique. It was already 3-0 by the end of the first period, and pressure mounted upon the Canucks. However, this wasn’t all, as Hyman scored once again, followed by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. 

With eight minutes remaining at the end of the second period, the Canucks’ Brock Boeser scored his team their first goal at Rogers Place, followed by a second Canucks’ goal from Filip Hronek. As the match headed to the third period, the score was 5-2, but Oilers’ Kasperi Kapanen scored the final goal for his team, and the match ended with an Oilers’ dominant 6-2 victory over the Canucks. A sweet revenge was taken by the team amid the absence of their star player Connor McDavid.