IMO both the Flames and League share the blame here.
Flames have let team get away with stick work on Gaudreau all season long, somebody needed to step up and either fight or give somebody a good hack back for the kid.
For the league I think there are a couple of issues overall. They don't call these little hacks and slashes away from the play or the taps on the hands.
Also the rules play a role. The second they introduced penalties for slashing a players stick out of his hands, and for breaking a players stick you saw the slashes to the actual hand go up.
Can't stick check or slash his stick because if it breaks or he drops his stick it's two minutes immediately. But if I slash his hands or forearms it's maybe not a penalty because there is no immediate trigger for the ref to call the penalty.
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