Sunday’s game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers took an ugly turn in the closing moments. Oilers star Connor McDavid cross-checked his namesake, Conor Garland, after the tussle ensued following a scoring chance for the Oilers who were training the Canucks 2-3. While the move gave McDavid a match penalty and an early exit, there was worse luck in store.

The NHL Department of Player Safety reviewed the illegal, high cross-check incident and decided that McDavid should face a harsher punishment. “Connor McDavid has been suspended for three games for cross-checking Conor Garland,” B/R Open Ice quoted in the official announcement. However, the decision to suspend McDavid after the incident isn’t something that went over well with all the fans.

“Complete nonsense. McDavid really should have dropped the gloves on Garland,” explained one fan who thought that McDavid didn’t do enough. The fan suggested the Oilers forwards should’ve followed up his cross-check with an all-out brawl. Coincidentally, a brawl was exactly what took place between the rest of the players on the ice following McDavid’s dismissal on Sunday.

While it’s no secret that NHL fans are always up to see players have a scrap on the ice, why would the fan suggest McDavid commit an even bigger offense? Well, that’s because several fans thought the Oilers star was deliberately being targeted to thwart his scoring opportunities. Fellow NHL icon Sidney Crosby made a similar insinuation about the Connor McDavid situation.

“The one time you see that, you probably didn’t see there nine hits that Connor took. Those ones are the ones that never make the highlights. When you retaliate, you make the highlights,” the Pittsburgh Penguins Center told The Athletic. Meanwhile, others were shocked to see the NHL hand down a follow-up suspension to a generational talent such as McDavid.

“No way a star player got suspended. It really is the wheel of decisions,” one hockey enthusiast commented on the official NHL post. However, the Player Safety Department’s decision showed exactly the kind of infractions they may be heavily cracking down upon. The footage the NHL shared while handing down the suspension focused on the moment McDavid nearly hit Garland in the head. While some thought what Connor McDavid did was justified, others took an issue and supported the NHL’s decision.

Fans juggled the blame around after Connor McDavid’s suspension

Some fans were quite matter-of-fact about their support for the NHL Department of Player Safety’s decision. In fact, they even guessed the NHL wouldn’t rest after simply handing the 28-year-old a match penalty. “Expected 2. Fine with 3. Dumb decisions deserve punishment,” commented one NHL fan who didn’t agree with the Oilers forward’s actions.

Meanwhile, others argued the incident, highlighting exactly what Crosby had said. “Brutal decision by the league. No prior discipline suspensions, and they give him 3 games for standing up for himself after all the non-called abuse he goes through. I’m McDavid, I’d tell the league to pound sand if they ask him to do any future promos,” commented one fan, highlighting how Connor McDavid could leverage his stardom to hit back at the league.

However, this isn’t the first suspension of the player’s career. Back in 2019, the three-time NHL Hart Memorial Trophy earned a two-game suspension after hitting defenseman Nick Leddy. Coincidentally, that hit too was also on the head. Did a similar prior offense play a role in handing down the suspension to the Ted Lindsay Award winner? Fans can only speculate.

Similarly, other fans speculated on the moments leading up to the cross-check. One fan blamed the referees for not putting a stop to the tussle before it escalated. “When do the refs get suspended for not making the right call?” the netizen asked. The NHL themselves explained that Garland had been “restraining” Connor McDavid before he restored with a punch and the cross-check.

“It was clearly a penalty, but no call, so it escalated! Refs have no repercussions?” argued the fan. Unfortunately, no amount of debating may change the NHL Department of Player Safety’s decision. However, this is an incident that may continue to be debated in online forums for a while.