March 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nHits are a part of hockey, and Sherwood didn\u2019t deny that. But he did call out a specific difference from your every day hits \u2013 which Sherwood himself has made a career out of \u2013 and more dangerous hits.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m all for playing hard, obviously, and playing to the whistle, but I think there\u2019s a way to go about it,\u201d Sherwood said.<\/p>\n
And there\u2019s an argument that Sherwood goes harder on hits than anyone \u2013 he set an NHL record last season, tracked league-wide since 2005-06, with 384 hits. But as Sherwood said after the McAvoy hit, he doesn\u2019t believe any of those 384 were hits to the head.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also an idea in hockey that it\u2019s a player\u2019s responsibility to keep themselves safe and avoid hits. But Sherwood pushed against that being a hard-and-fast rule.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got to know who you\u2019re out there against. And I think obviously the onus is on the player too, to keep your head up. But it\u2019s such a fast-paced game, it\u2019s impossible to always \u2013 you can\u2019t always just protect yourself, it\u2019s also on the initiator,\u201d Sherwood said. \u201cBut you try to understand who\u2019s out there on the ice and understand if a guy is a little bit more physical. If it\u2019s like a guy like Gudas, and you\u2019ve got to have your head up and be a little bit more ready when you get the puck.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, how can the NHL go about cracking down on dangerous hits?<\/p>\n
Sherwood and McDavid admit it\u2019s a difficult task, and people will always disagree with the Department of Player Safety\u2019s decisions.<\/p>\n
But Sherwood said there needs to be a precedent set that those types of hits aren\u2019t okay.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the hit on Matthews, five games probably isn\u2019t enough,\u201d Sherwood said. \u201cThat guy, he\u2019s done it before, he\u2019s probably not going to think twice. But if you suspend him 10, 15, 20 games, or even to the playoffs, probably you\u2019re not going to do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sherwood compared it to putting a kid in timeout, as opposed to just a slap on the wrist.<\/p>\n
The San Jose Sharks\u2019 winger also thinks it\u2019s important for players to speak out.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got to have people that stand up for what\u2019s right, and you got to have people that might ruffle some feathers, maybe just to get the message across that you got to protect the players and their health,\u201d Sherwood said.<\/p>\n
The San Jose Sharks and Sherwood are set to face Gudas, who\u2019s dealing with a lower-body injury, and the Anaheim Ducks twice to close this season, on Apr. 1 and 9.<\/p>\n
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