NHL Officiating: Double Standard for Dirty Hits
National Hockey League referees and officials have long been criticized for practicing double standards when penalizing cheap shots and dirty hits. Certain players are punished, while others get a pass. On Oct. 13, 2021, Colorado Avalanche LW Gabriel Landeskog was suspended for two games and fined $70,000 for a hit on Chicago Blackhawks center Kirby Dach. Dach was down on one knee when Landeskog slammed him into the boards. The NHL’s Dept. of Player Safety gave the reason for the punishment: “Dach…is defenseless in this situation, sliding along the ice with little ability to evade or brace for contact. Landeskog has enough time to recognize the situation his opponent is in.”
Nobody would argue with that call, except maybe Landeskog. The Dept. of Player Safety did what it was supposed to do, penalize players for bad hits. Less than two weeks later, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steve Stamkos hit Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard in an almost identical manner. However, Stamkos received no penalty, fine or suspension.
Girard was slow to get up and didn’t return. He was hurt hard enough to be day to day. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar disagreed with the league’s decision not to discipline Stamkos. “I would have liked to see the penalty called on the play. They didn’t call it and we played through it.” Avs center Nazem Kadri, no stranger to suspensions himself, agreed with the coach. “I understand it’s a difficult job but definitely, there has to be some sort of consistency.” There wasn’t, and a few days later, Stamkos laid a high hit on Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens. Again, the refs and the Dept. of Player Safety did nothing.
Stamkos is not the only player who gets away with rough plays. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby seems to enjoy immunity from prosecution. During a game vs. the Washington Capitals on Nov. 14, Crosby skated in the Caps’ zone against defenseman Martin Fehervary. The two soon became entangled in the corner. Instead of skating around his opponent or stopping, Crosby threw Fehervary into the boards. The Dept. of Player Safety announced that Crosby wouldn’t receive any suspension.
It wasn’t the first time Crosby got away with a dirty hit. During Game 5 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins captain and Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban went at it. Crosby held Subban’s stick and wouldn’t let go. Subban then grabbed Crosby’s leg and wouldn’t release it. Sid the Kid proceeded to pick up Subban’s head and slam it repeatedly into the ice. Referee Brad Meier saw everything and didn’t take any action. Eventually, when Subban pinned Crosby into a headlock, the ref finally called matching holding penalties. No suspension for the captain’s head slamming antics, though.
If the NHL wants fans to feel there’s no double standard for dirty hits, it’s time for officials to start treating stars like Stamkos and Crosby the same way they treat everybody else.
-Jeff Dahlberg
Twitter: @JeffDahlberg3