The NHL's double standard for star players continues after Nikita Kucherov's hit from behind
The NHL officiating is a hot topic and has been for years. NHL referees have one of the most difficult jobs in sports and they often face a lot of undeserved criticism. But one thing that often appears clear within the league is a double standard that is often received by star players.
Last night that was on full display as Nikita Kucherov delivered an illegal check from behind to Justin Holl. The penalty happened during the 2nd period of last night's game.
On the play Justin Holl has his back turned and Kucherov delivers a hit directly to the numbers sending Holl face first into the dasher board. This is the definition of an illegal check from behind.
The NHL has set the standard that any illegal check from behind should be punished with a 5 minute major and a game misconduct. Because of this the on ice officials opted to assess a 2-minute penalty for interference. This penalty took Kucherov out of the play for 2 minutes, but was definitely not the punishment he deserved.
If this had have been thrown by Pat Maroon, Corey Perry or Wayne Simmonds it certainly would have been assessed as a minor penalty. It's time for sneaky dirty players like Kucherov to stop getting away with this kind of actions.
| POLL | ||
Should star players receive special treatment when it comes to penalty calls? | ||
| Yes, they should get away with more | 13 | 5.1 % |
| No, call it the same for everyone | 241 | 94.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
