NHL Player Safety Will Not Review Cheap Shot To Tyler Johnson
The NHL Department of Player Safety has decided Canadiens defenseman Greg Pateryn will not face a hearing for his cheap shot on Lightning center Tyler Johnson.
The National Hockey League has made it their mission to crack down on many things this season. One of the aspects of the game most scrutinized is blatant shots to the head. Unfortunately, the NHL Department of Player Safety really seemed to drop the ball on Saturday, April 9th, when a late hit could cause an integral part of a postseason-bound team to remain on the sidelines.
If you had the privilege, and we use that term loosely, of watching the Tampa Bay Lightning play their final game of the 2015-16 regular season against the Montreal Canadiens, you will know things didn’t go all that well for the Lightning. Some of their pitfalls were things completely within their control; however, the one thing completely outside of their control is the one that could potentially have serious implications heading into the playoffs.
The Tampa Bay Lightning was attempting to play the puck in front of the Montreal Canadiens net, a play which was stopped by goaltender Mike Condon. At this point, the referee blew his whistle. Under normal circumstances, play halts and everyone prepares to line up for the next play. Unfortunately, this is not the next move Canadiens defenseman Greg Pateryn had in mind.
Pateryn decided he was going to finish his check on Tampa Bay Lightning center Tyler Johnson and shove him hard into the boards. As you can imagine, it took quite a bit of Johnson to make it back to his feet. While we will concede that Johnson lost the edge on his skate on the way down, there is no denying Pateryn’s swift shove had more than a little to do with Johnson’s fall into the boards and to the ice.
As you can imagine, Johnson’s linemates were none-too-pleased about what just went down on the ice. Almost immediately, Johnson’s linemate and partner-in-crime Ondrej Palat gave Pateryn the business end of a beatdown in recompense for his fallen friend and teammate.
What aggravates most people the most is that after Johnson’s head went sailing into the boards and quite literally bouncing off with tremendous force, Pateryn threw his hands up in the air like he had absolutely nothing to do with it. Sorry, bro…you’re acting skills are not quite on Sidney Crosby’s level just yet.
Tyler Johnson did have to be helped off the ice by his teammates. As soon as he was off the ice, Johnson headed straight to the locker room never to be seen again over the course of the rest of the game. It was later announced he had suffered an Upper Body Injury and was listed as Day-to-Day. As you can imagine, Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper was absolutely livid about the hit.
When everything came down, the referees issued Pateryn a five minute major for Boarding and a 10 minute Game Misconduct. While it seems as if justice was served on the ice, the NHL Department of Player Safety failed to hold up their end of the bargain. According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, the fact that Johnson’s skate lost its edge negates any wrongdoing on behalf of Pateryn.
We’re sorry…we call shenanigans here. Despite the fact that Johnson’s skate lost its edge, this didn’t occur until after the blatant late hit by Greg Pateryn. There is simply no room in the National Hockey League for this kind of play. As much as people like to rail against the referees, they are the ones in control on the ice and when the whistle blows, play stops…period.
Pateryn’s actions are a disgrace to the game many people around the world hold so closely to their hearts. This kind of play could cause a player to lose not only time away from the ice, but also their lives. Head injuries are absolutely nothing to play around with, and we guarantee there were more than a few people here in the Bolts Nation who were on the edge of their seats holding their breath when Tyler Johnson hit the boards.
Next: Tyler Johnson Nailed Into Boards By Greg Pateryn (Video)
On the bright side, this is the last time the Tampa Bay Lightning will have to deal with the Montreal Canadiens this season. While the Tampa Bay Lightning are set to take on the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens are busy booking their tee times at the golf course. No matter the scenario, the only important thing at this time is Tyler Johnson’s health and his return to the ice.