This is what happens when the league neuters the game and effectively removes self-policing and with it any accountability for actions on the ice. Guys have free range to hack and slash star players night in and night out.
Two things need to happen.
1) The NHL needs to crack down on the blatant targeting of star players and protect them by enforcing the RULES. Yes, I'd even want McDavid protected fairly if it was happening to him too.
It isn't special treatment, it's simply officiating the game the way it is dictated in the rule book. As you can see, when refs ignore it repeatedly, it results in players missing time with injuries. I'm sure this isn't exclusive to Gaudreau either, and he has the extra misfortune of being too small to do much back. Now the Flames, and by extension the league, have a huge financial draw missing time and undoubtedly costing both money to some extent. The NHL is icing a product, why would you not ensure the safety of your top commodities?
2) The Flames can't wait around for #1 to start happening. It's embarrassing the amount of **** other teams get away with against our top players. Engelland, Ferland, Bouma, Hathaway, and quite frankly everyone, need to hold other teams accountable when this **** is happening. Return the favour twice as hard and start targeting their top players too. I don't care if it costs us penalties. Look at it as an investment for the future. The general apathy this team displays *most* of the time in situations like this is such a head scratcher.
Now this might be an unpopular opinion, but the other variable in all of this is that Johnny, partially due to his own fault (because as a lot of these slashes show, those are serious hacks), has become known as a bit of a whiner. I'd personally like to see him cut down on the b----ing to the refs. I noticed it beginning last year, and there's been times this year where i've yelled at the TV for him to just shut up and bite his tongue. Of course, you can't fault him after slashes and games like last night, but there's other times he should remain more composed. I have no doubt he will mature and grow out of it, but it's hurting his case a bit in the present.
The Organization needs to be his voice right now and make some noise about these incidents. It's absolutely unacceptable that this has lead to surgery and time missed when it was completely avoidable.
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