Tell ya what...i will let you give me a quick jab to the back of my head and then i get a full one handed swing with my stick to the side of yours.
Lets see who is injured and who isnt. You can be assured that my swing is most certainly an intent to do something....you can decide what.
Then let's decide if both actions are somehow equal.
(This is merely hypothetical and not intended as a real challenge to anybody but just a way to look at what happened)
There's a reason why every single combat sport makes shots to the back of the head illegal. A punch to the back of the head at the same velocity as a swing of a face to the stick could do more damage... Neither are good but you're look at a broken jaw vs. brain damage/ hemorrhaging / concussions.
The punch wasn't as vicious looking as the swing of the stick but even if you get slapped in the back of the head it is really jarring.
The Athletic has a good collection of times Malkin has been a buffoon. How he's never been suspended before is amazing.
Spoiler!
Amazed they missed this one.
I'm not arguing Malkin isn't a dirty player, he has a long history of injurious plays. This suspension just doesn't seem to fit the DOPS' modus operandi of not handing out suspensions where no actual damage was done. Maybe they're changing, but I suspect it's just more of their usual randomness.
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