Zach Whitecloud's suspension fate confirmed after controversial hit on Matthew Knies
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud has officially not been suspended for his hit on Matthew Knies last night.
The Toronto Maple Leafs earned a 2-0 victory over Vegas last night, but forward Matthew Knies exited the game in the second period after taking a high hit from Zach Whitecloud.
The play proved to be highly controversial, as the Knights defenseman was initially given a major penalty for an illegal check to the head.
However, after review, the call was overturned and Whitecloud only received a minor penalty for roughing which occurred after the play.
Sportsnet panelist Sam Consentino took a lot of criticism last night as he defended the hit, seemingly ignoring the actual evidence in the video.
This contributed to a hectic discourse online that was divisive, but most fans seemed to think that the hit was at least worthy of a major penalty, referencing Ryan Reaves hit on Darnell Nurse for comparison.
That being said, Consentino was not the only one defending the play. Even Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube called it a 'clean hit' in his postgame remarks.
"It's a hockey hit. It's been around forever. It's a clean hit. It's a tough play. He's in a vulnerable position a little bit. The guy was on him from behind and it's a tough play. It is, but it's hockey. That's part of the game."
It seems as though Berube was right though, as the deadline for supplementary discipline has passed.
As such, it seems that the NHL Department of Player Safety agrees that it was clean, or at least not egregious enough to warrant a suspension or even a fine.
This is frustrating for fans as the league still appears to not have any set standard for these kinds of plays.
We would like to see more consistency from the league when it comes to headshots but that is asking for too much.
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