Former NHLer calls out Ottawa Senators Tim Stützle for exaggerating injuries
Tim Stützle of the Ottawa Senators is getting called out by a veteran of 700 NHL games who believes the young NHL star is exaggerating injuries to get penalties
The 2024-25 NHL regular season isn't even officially under way yet, and we already have a former NHLer publicly calling out a current star. The target this time is Tim Stützle of the Ottawa Senators.
Things got messy in a preseason game between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens last night when after a hit from Arber Xhekaj appeared to catch Tim Stützle with a high hit, which teammate Ridly Greig called "dirty." Things also got messy online when it became clear that Xhekaj, who was thrown out of the game for the hit, would not face any supplemental discipline.
However, later in the day a new angle of the video was released which showed the hit from front on. In that snippet, it clearly shows Arber Xhekaj catching Tim Stützle in the chest, which is likely why the NHL's Department of Player Safety let it go. It also shows Stützle reacting to getting hit in the helmet with his own stick.
Now, enter former NHLer and veteran of 700 career games Jason Demers, who called out Tim Stützle of the Ottawa Senators for exaggerating injuries in order to get calls, and possibly longer calls, from referees. Demers said what Stützle did goes far beyond exaggeration, adding Stützle is risking losing respect from the officials.
It's far from the first time in his career that Tim Stützle has been called out for making plays seem worse than they actually are. Stützle was called "The Biggest Diver in Hockey" after drawing a tripping penalty against Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros last season. Senators GM Steve Staios has already confirmed that Stützle was not hurt on the hit from Arber Xhekaj.
While Arber Xhekaj of the Montreal Canadiens is walking a fine line with his style of play in almost every game he skates in, it's difficult not to agree at least a little with Jason Demers when it comes to Tim Stützle of the Ottawa Senators. There may be a time coming when he doesn't get a call when he really should have. Besides Demers 700 career regular season games, he also suited up for another 61 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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