Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was suspended for elbowing Brandon Hagel in the head, but he wasn't penalized when he did it.
Now, Hagelwon't play for the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Battle of Florida, while Ekblad scored the tying goal in Game 4's comeback win for the Panthers.
There were only four people in the world who had the power to do anything about it during the game. And in the NHL, infractions that are called can be reviewed but not ones that aren't.
That should change. We're not lobbying for a review of every infraction, but if the NHL wants to further prevent and punish head contact, it has to get this right. Whether that's having an eye-in-the-sky official who has the power to call headshots or giving the control room in Toronto the power to intervene and have the officials review them, something has to be done.
Today's video column has more.
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