Sunday. February 23, 2025. The place was Little Caesars Arena when the Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras gave a brutal hit on the head to the Detroit Red Wings’ Michael Rasmussen, a hit was so merciless that the footage went out burning the hearts of many Hockey fans. The Red Wings somehow clinched the victory in overtime but all the empathy has flown towards the same team while leaving the Ducks Trevor Zegras with bad news of the season.

The update is crystal clear- the Ducks forward Trevor Zegras is going to face a suspension. Y’all know what happened in the game. The clock was ticking in the second period when Zegras of the Ducks made a controversial shoulder-to-head hit on the Detroit Red Wings center, Michael Rasmussen, when he was looking the other way. This has caught the attention of the NHL to punish Zegras with a ‘3-game suspension without pay.’ 

 Talking about the suspension, the league has said, “Players who are not in possession of the puck are never eligible to be checked.” NHL further continued, “Contact is made outside the window where a check may be legally finished. In addition to the lateness, what causes this hit to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the significant head contact on this play, combined with the force.” And guys, hold on for a second the Zegras has to pay $89,844 from his salary. Although it’s a small dent in his nearly $6 million salary, the penalty will remain as a reminder for Zegras and a warning for the others. The only silver lining for the team might be the fact that Zegras’ first suspension since being drafted in 2019. 

 But fans are not tolerating the shabby kind of work the refs delivered in the February 23 game. The NHL fans have heavily fumed over refs for not calling a foul.

Do you know how fans reacted to the wrongdoings by Zegras? One fan said, “Should have been 10 games! Such a gutless hit!” While the other one commented, “Make it 5… headhunting.” And another fan said, “Zegras’ downfall needs to be studied and went from one of the most promising young players to just completely useless.” It was about to happen. 

NHL fans raised voices on officiating resulted in the suspension of Trevor Zegras 

Despite a nasty hit by Trevor Zegras, the refs didn’t declare the penalty to the Ducks. One fan reacted to it saying, “No call on the hit, but offsetting roughing penalties? The refs are really losing control of this game.” Fans were saying that it was clearly a brutal and controversial hit and urged the internet to fire the refs.

A fan reacted about the ignorance of refs during the game posting, “This play is the exact reason people complain about the officiating in the NHL. I can understand. Maybe they miss it in real time but how is no call made after the replay is looked at?” And that’s what people talking about. The arena watched Trevor Zegras reject that he had hit Michael Rasmussen by shaking his head after a replay. But how can refs turn heads against it?

Well, the fans are still far from satisfied with the punishment Trevor Zegras has received, believing it doesn’t go nearly far enough. But one thing’s for sure—a sword will be swinging over the referees for the rest of the season, with every call they make being scrutinized under a microscope!