Part of the problem is there are very few teams, Edmonton being one, that still plays by the "code" for from the 80s. Part of the issue is they are so stuck in that era they have never evolved (fanbase and team hierarchy).
The hit on Gaudreau was probably a little worse than the hit Russel took that made Lucic go crazy on the TB player. I also find it amusing that the media stuck in the 80s were probably okay with when Tikkanen and Linseman did the same thing.
At the end of the day I get it, McDavid is the only thing going for them, but the rage and made up interpretations of events (Backlund grabbed McDavid around the neck and took him to the ice) just reeks of desperation.
|