MichaelMcKinlay.com

Last week, the NHL’s Philladelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators had a pre-season exhibition game. Since it was an exhibition game a lot of younger players get the chance to play so that they can prove themselves to their prospective team. These younger players will try to step it up a knotch and make a big play in the hopes that the coach will give them a spot on the team.

Anyway one of these players was Steve Downie who caught a player with a devastating hit. The player never saw him coming and so was unprepared for the hit. Hitting a player when they have their head down is an accetable action but Downie hit the player’s head which is illegal. Downie also left his feet when he hit the player which again, is illegal. Downie has now received a 20 game suspension and will have to watch out next time he plays Ottawa as he is now a marked man. The league has warned Ottawa that if anything happens to Downie the next time he plays that there will be serious consequences.

I’ve played hockey all of my life and I thought the hit was ridiculous. I think Downie should be suspended for a year. It was a reckless hit and the player could have easily been paralyzed or worse. The player suffered a concussion but thankfully should otherwise be alright. Why the NHL doesn’t better protect it’s players with stronger suspensions I don’t know. Hockey is a rough sport and that’s fine but this was completely avoidable and Downie should be severely punished for it.