Zach Whitecloud Learns his Fate from the Department of Player Safety After Dirty Hit on Matthew Knies
Just days after Ryan Reaves was suspended for a dirty hit, Toronto were on the receiving end of one, and now Zach Whitecloud has escaped suspension.
The Vegas Golden Knights were shutout by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, with the Leafs continuing their momentum in a big way with captain Auston Matthews still sidelined.
However, the story of the night following the game was the hit to the head of Matthew Knies from Zach Whitecloud, which forced the young forward out of the game with a potential concussion.
While there's question marks over whether Whitecloud left his feet or not, it's very clear in slow motion that he makes unnecessary contact to the head of Knies, and after Reaves was suspended for five-games for admittedly a much worse hit, fans were still calling for a suspension this time around.
Despite many believing a suspension should be necessary following the hit, 5pm has come and gone on Thursday, confirming that somehow, Whitecloud has escaped any supplemental discipline for the hit.
Maple Leafs fans will not be happy with this, especially given that they may now miss the services of their. young forward for several games with a head injury, and with the primary point of contact being the head, this decision is a confusing one.
In the wake of the NHL's attempts to limit contact to the head, this was an egregious example of exactly that, and to not even see any discipline for Whitecloud here is a major miss for the NHL's DoPS and Gary Bettman.
The backlash is already on the way for fans around the league, and while many do not like the Maple Leafs, it's hard to deny that they've been hard done by here, with Whitecloud incredibly lucky to not face even a game or two on the sidelines.
