Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Mathew Barzal’s two-handed slash on Mason Marchment only garnered a $5,000 fine as fans throughout the NHL think that’s nonsense given Bobby McMann’s suspension.
On Sunday night, it was a bit of a violent affair between the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders as Islanders forward Mat Barzal decided to audition for the New York Mets as he took a two-handed baseball swing at the leg of Columbus’ Mason Marchment:
The incident happened after Marchment laid in a hit to rookie Matthew Schaefer which clearly Barzal had an issue with.
Marchment immediately fell to a heap on the ice as Barzal was given a game misconduct and a major penalty with a hearing no doubt from the NHL Player Safety Department.
Barzal fined for malicious attack in stunning development
However, that hearing has only managed a $5,000 fine for Barzal, who clearly intended to injure Marchment as retaliation for the hit to Schaefer.
It’s egregious when you compare it to Bobby McMann’s suspension, which has suddenly gotten a lot more attention with the league’s latest decision.
He certainly shouldn’t have done that for sure, however George Parros decided otherwise and it sparked discussion back then considering Jacob Trouba did the same thing Barzal did but to the head of Trent Frederic and also got a $5,000 fine.
Toronto fans react strongly to Player Safety ruling
The fan reaction went over about as well as you’d think:
Fans were also wondering if Marchment was going to get any punishment for going after Schaefer but considering the rookie was fine; if anything that should be fined and the Barzal attack is suspension-worthy.
But a lot of it comes down to the hatred George Parros has for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They are the one of the most suspended teams since he took over, and this is another example of favouritism by the NHL.
Fans weren’t holding back either:
It’s not a good look for the league to allow this type of behavior especially if it only results in a minimal fine all things considered.
Either the NHL needs to start stepping up and taking more responsibility or perhaps they need to adjust their CBA to make sure these fines are something that make players think twice about their actions.
Previously on Hockey Patrol
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NHL Player Safety ruling puts Bobby McMann suspension back in the spotlight
Should Mat Barzal have been suspended for his two-handed slash on Mason Marchment?