Even with the Maple Leafs enjoying a day off on Thursday, the NHL had a full slate of games of 9 games with 4 of the 7 Canadian teams in action. The Montreal Canadiens were one of those teams, taking on the New York Islanders at home in Montreal. Unfortunately, the game was the scene of arguably the dirtiest hit of the year.
During the 3rd period in a very tight game, Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech had just distributed the puck and continued skating straight up the middle of the ice. Unfortunately for him, Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher skated through the neutral zone, stuck out his elbow and nearly took Pelech's head off.
Many were expecting this one to be a lengthy suspension, perhaps the longest of the season outside of Shane Pinto's 41-game ban for gambling in Ottawa. However, when word came down from the NHL's Department of Player Safety that Gallagher would receive only a phone hearing, meaning that the suspension will not exceed 5 games, it has left fans, and even some member of the media, absolutely dumbfounded.
With the Head of Player Safety being George Parros, a former member of the Montreal Canadiens, should we even be surprised to see Gallagher, a former teammate of Parros, granted leniency?
Parros has shown himself, time and time again, to be incapable of being unbiased, which is a shame, because of what his role entails. It requires someone who is capable of being unbiased and impartial. It's long past time that the league removes Parros from the Department of Player Safety and replace him with someone who does his job properly, rather than just ensuring that his buddies receive nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
