McDavid, the Oilers’ captain and a seven-time All-Star, was assessed a match penalty for cross-checking Canucks forward Conor Garland in the face during the final seconds of a 3-2 loss on Saturday in Vancouver.
The NHL also suspended Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers three games for cross-checking Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard in the same game. Myers’ hit occurred during a stoppage in play, as the McDavid incident prompted a scrum of players on the ice.
‘Connor gets frustrated, and he gets his stick up,’ Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said postgame. ‘He’s frustrated because we’re down one goal and the best player in the league is getting held for 15 seconds.’
Garland held McDavid, and the pair wrestled to the ice before McDavid retaliated with the cross-check.
‘It is important to note that this is not a routine motion to box out an opponent or to gain body position,’ a Department of Player Safety official said in an explanation video. ‘Having just been involved physically with Garland, McDavid retaliates aggressively and intentionally, escalating the altercation by raising his stick significantly and creating this contact, a high cross-check that makes direct contact with an opponent’s head with sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline.’
The league took into consideration McDavid’s disciplinary history. He was suspended once before, a two-game ban in February 2019 after an illegal check to the head against New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy. He was also fined once.
Now, McDavid will miss the Oilers’ home games Tuesday against the Washington Capitals, Thursday against Vancouver and Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. He’ll be eligible to return next Monday when the Oilers host the Seattle Kraken.
McDavid, 28, has 65 points (20 goals, 45 assists) through 43 games this season. The three-time Hart Trophy winner earned 15 penalty minutes on Saturday after entering the night with only 14 on the season.
‘I’m just holding him,’ Garland told reporters after the game. ‘I mean, he’s the best player to ever do it. So, the time’s running out. And I just thought that was maybe the best way for us to win a game was to do that. I don’t want to hurt him.
‘You know, I don’t want to hurt him, want to hold him and hurt him in that way. So, just try to get up and hold him down.
‘But he’s a passionate guy. He’s a good dude. I mean, I don’t think he was just his passion. It’s a tight game late in the game. Everybody has the fire in their belly trying to win a hockey game. So that’s the stuff that happens.’
Myers and Bouchard exchanged slashes with their sticks away from the rest of the scrum. Myers then cross-checked Bouchard directly in the face, sending him to the ice.
Both players were penalized for slashing, and Myers received a match penalty for his crosscheck.
Myers, 34, has been suspended twice and fined twice previously in his career. He will miss the Canucks’ games Tuesday against Buffalo, Thursday at Edmonton and Saturday against Washington before being eligible to return Monday at the St. Louis Blues.
Myers has 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 45 games this season.