
On Saturday night, Connor McDavid completely lost his composure. In a frenzied end to the game between the Canucks and the Oilers, McDavid lost his cool and delivered a violent cross-check to Conor Garland’s face.
We wondered if the league would impose further penalties, and he finally had a hearing…
Edmonton’s Connor McDavid has been suspended for three games for cross-checking Vancouver’s Conor Garland. https://t.co/hxR9X8Z2Ml
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 20, 2025
In the sequence, Garland was really looking for trouble… but this is obviously not an excuse for McDavid.
if McDavid is not suspended for this i will have no freaking words #Canucks pic.twitter.com/KOwnLQXIJx
— Lucasparmenter23 (@Lucasparmenter0) January 19, 2025
It should be noted that due to his suspension, McDavid will lose nearly $200,000 in salary. Of course, he’s not exactly feeling sorry for himself… but it’s still a significant amount.
Additionally, in the same game, Tyler Myers was also seen making a pretty questionable move against Evan Bouchard…
Tyler Myers has been suspended for three games for cross-checking Evan Bouchard. pic.twitter.com/kmta8VEVpO
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 20, 2025
You can feel that the league wanted to send a clear message to tighten up on actions that have no place… and suspending the face of the league for three games is a good way to convey that message.
Extension
Let’s remember that this is not McDavid’s first suspension in his career. The Oilers forward received a two-game suspension in 2019 for an illegal headshot.
He is not known as a dirty player… but against the Canucks on Saturday night, he really lost his cool.