Ryan Reaves' brother speaks out after controversial hit and subsequent suspension

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced a five-game suspension for Reaves on Sunday after his headshot on Nurse the previous night.

Since then, the hockey world has been emersed in drama as both players and their allies continue to stir the pot.

Yesterday, Nurse fired a shot at Reaves emphasizing his size as a reason why he should not have been hit in the head.

https://twitter.com/itsWozzz/status/1859699738058293315

He also said it was 'pretty obvious' that Reaves was intending to hurt him on the play.

This comment in particular incited a response from Reaves' brother Jordan. He mocked Nurse for having his head down on the play, asking if he could really tell that as he was looking down the entire time and never even saw him coming.

To be fair, Reaves' younger brother has a good point here. Nurse did in fact have his head down on the play, which was a sticking point for many fans in the debate that followed the play.

That being said, the onus is on the player making the hit to make sure that they are not hitting a player in a vulnerable position.

While Nurse needs to do a better job at protecting himself, Reaves also needs to do a better job of holding himself back.

This is especially true in this case as Nurse was not in a position where he should have expected a hit.

He was behind his own net in transition and Reaves actually put himself out of position to make the hit.

Regardless, Reaves will have his first chance to return to the lineup on December 4th. Be sure to tune in for that one to see if he causes any more controversies.