“It Was Clearly an Accident”: Rangers Fans Condemn the NHLPS for an Unfair Suspension

The Sunday match between the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings did not need to be as controversial as it got. One player belonging to the Rangers made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. K’Andre Miller, the defence-man for the Rangers, hocked a loogie on Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty. And he got punished for it. The incident took place in the first half, during a skirmish between the two teams.

The entire thing was caught on video, so there was no denying that the incident did take place. When the NHL Player Safety Department shared the news on Twitter, the internet started debating on the fairness of the punishment.

K’Andre Miller suspended for three games, viewers react

Miller’s suspension, spanning three games, was considered unfair by some people. However, according to others, it was exactly what Miller deserved. in his support, one fan commented, “This is a terrible call. It was an accident. Where was the Stamkos spitting on Laf suspension in the playoffs? What about Tom Wilson slamming Panarin’s head to the ground? How is there any consistency to your calls? This is awful.” In contrast, someone thought Rangers fans were crazy to question the suspension.

Someone commented, “Ranger fans mad lol like they honestly think he shouldn’t be suspended😂😂😂” But there was general dissatisfaction with the consistency shown by the NHLPS. One user said, “It’s not a question about whether he should be suspended or not, it’s a question regarding the Player’s Safety consistency. Wilson is a known agitator in the NHL with several priors and didn’t get a single hearing for slamming Panarin into the ice.”

Read more: “Don’t Want to See Things Like That”: Hockey Star Disapproves Getting Spit on by Rangers’ Defenseman

An NHL follower commented, “Not a Rangers fan, but this is ridiculous. It was clearly an accident, and he apologized. That should have been the end of it.” Someone else who thought the penalty was excessive, wrote, “I’m not condoning spitting in anyway but it’s kind of comical you get 3 game suspension for it but if you punch a guy in the face you get 5 min.” There were also people who considered what he did to be “disgusting” and that “He should be banned for life.” Overall, the incident came as a shock to the NHL community.

Accident or disrespect?

K’Andre Miller has stood his ground that it was an accident. He also claimed that the act “…goes against everything I am as a person and player.” When the incident took place, Miller was given a match penalty. And later, a three-match penalty followed as well. The terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, mandate that he will lose a part of his salary as well.

Based on his average annual salary, Miller will forfeit around $15,000 US, which will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. He will miss games Wednesday at Philadelphia, Thursday against Ottawa and Saturday at Boston. This is not the first time something of this sort has happened on the ice. In 2019, Garnet Hathaway, who was playing for Washington at the time, was suspended for three games for spitting on Anaheim’s Erik Gudbranson.

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Do you think the penalty that K’Andre Miller received was a  fair one?