Patrick Johnston: Connor McDavid says a review should happen of how the NHL handles dirty plays. He’s on point.<\/p>\n
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Published Mar 19, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with a refresher on the maddest fact from Ron Hextall\u2019s illustrious career: The famed goalie who won the Vezina and the Conn Smythe was also suspended for more than six games three times.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The most famous of the three is the 12-game suspension he landed during the 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs for going after Montreal\u2019s Chris Chelios. With less than two minutes left in the sixth game of the Prince of Wales Conference final, his Flyers down three games to two in the series and his team trailing 4-2, Hextall went wild, leaving his crease to attack Chelios just after the Canadiens had gone offside.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n A wild melee ensued, with Hextall given a match penalty. Brian O\u2019Neill, the NHL\u2019s head disciplinarian at the time<\/a>, said Hextall \u201cshowed a complete disrespect for the league and the game\u201d in going after Chelios the way he did. Hextall said he was upset at Chelios for a play earlier in the series, when the brilliant Habs\u2019 defenceman had concussed Hextall\u2019s teammate, Brian Propp, by elbowing the Flyers\u2019 star in the head. Chelios escaped any punishment for the act, so the flamboyant goalie took it up himself to exact revenge.<\/p>\n At the time, it was the third-longest ban O\u2019Neill had ever handed out. Flyers owner Ed Snider was aghast at the length of the suspension, admitting his player deserved some punishment, but not this length.<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n One wonders what Snider would think of the five-game suspension handed to the Anaheim Ducks\u2019 Radko Gudas last week for ending Auston Matthews\u2019 season?<\/p>\n Too short? Just enough? Or somehow too long?<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the other thing to remember about Gudas: There have always been guys like him, who are looking to push the boundaries of acceptability. Think Sean Avery, Nicklas Kronwall, Daniel Carcillo, Claude Lemieux, Ulf Samuelsson, Gino Odjick, Glenn Anderson, Darius Kasparitis \u2026 you get the idea.<\/p>\n How the NHL\u2019s department of player safety operates is not something players want to talk about on the record. That\u2019s understandable. After all, if you become an outspoken critic of the official regulator, who\u2019s to say that they won\u2019t come after you harder than you deserve \u2014 or turn a blind eye when you\u2019re the recipient of a dirty hit?<\/p>\n But in talking with various NHLers, one thing is clear: There\u2019s a belief among players that being the league\u2019s disciplinarian isn\u2019t a job anyone wants. It\u2019s a thankless task, one that will land you criticism from all sides. But there\u2019s also a sense that the way the league hands out suspensions could be better \u2014 that the big moments, the big decisions, should be heavier. (With this in mind, kudos to Connor McDavid for being willing to speak openly about a need for a review of how the system does, or doesn\u2019t, work.)<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Five games for Gudas? That\u2019s it?<\/p>\n The lack of clarity is a frustration, too. Is there a general guide to how different infractions are viewed? It all feels pretty opaque to the outside viewer, imagine being a player. All you know that if you are offered an in-person hearing, you\u2019re going to get five games or more.<\/p>\n And yet there now seems to be a fear from the league to do in-person hearings and then hand out a longer ban. The NHLPA\u2019s efforts to dial down on bans through appeals have been successful of late. Has this made George Parros, who heads the department of player safety, and his crew a little gun-shy?<\/p>\n It really would make things better if there were a concerted effort to lay down some standards at the very least: \u201cDo this and you\u2019re facing two games,\u201d and so on.<\/p>\n The Hurricanes\u2019 owner Tom Dundon is apparently advocating for a firmer stance on head shots. Given players who are diagnosed with a concussion are now required to sit out for a minimum of one week, why aren\u2019t the players who cause the concussions \u2014 if it\u2019s in an obviously illegal manner, not just a heavy hit \u2014 required to sit out for a week as well? Or could you go even more heavy and say the player who caused the injury should be out as long as the player who suffered the injury?<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n These are questions that a league and player-appointed panel would do well to consider. Other sports have arm\u2019s-length people with experience in their sport tasked with setting standardized guidelines for supplementary discipline. The disciplinary matters are then handled by other arm\u2019s-length people, whose job it is to rule impartially on foul play.<\/p>\n The NHL would be wise to review how it does all this because it\u2019s clear that there\u2019s dissatisfaction with the system as it is and so there\u2019s room for improvement.<\/p>\n pjohnston@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Canucks preview: Why Curtis Douglas knows how quickly Lightning can strike<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hkn-matthews-injury-gudas_302117642.jpg\")
Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews is injured by Anaheim Ducks Radko Gudas during second period NHL hockey action in Toronto on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Photo by Nathan Denette \/THE CANADIAN PRESSArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.8.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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