Ex-Oilers enforcer rips team for response to McDavid cross-check
A former Edmonton Oilers enforcer has given his two cents about Vancouver Canucks defenceman Carson Soucy cross-checking Connor McDavid in the face.
The incident occurred after the final buzzer rang in last night’s 4-3 loss in Game 3 and resulted in Nikita Zadorov getting fined by the league and Soucy getting a one-game suspension.
McDavid was able to get out of the situation no worse for wear, but that didn’t stop former enforcer-turned-analyst Luke Gazdic from weighing in on The Jeff Marek Show this morning. His focus was on the lack of a proper response from the Oilers to protect their captain.
“I didn’t love the response, I didn’t love the reaction, that’s my first thought,” Gazdic said when asked his thoughts on the situation. “As a player who took a lot of pride in sticking up for his teammates, I didn’t think there was any response there from any Oilers players and that’s my biggest thing.
“I was and am not happy with nobody at all jumping in there from the orange and blue.”
"As a player who took a lot of pride in sticking up for his teammates, I didn't think there was any response there from any Oilers players…"
@lukegazdic on his reaction to Carson Soucy and Nikita Zadorov's cross-check on Connor McDavid with @JeffMarek. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/f9ColMdQjd— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) May 13, 2024
This may be a pretty scathing review of the situation, but it is one that rings true. McDavid is the captain of this team, and their offensive heartbeat, potentially losing him as the result of a vicious play like that should rile them up. Yet, not much occurred in the immediate aftermath of the scrum and the players all went their separate ways.
McDavid himself didn’t seem all that worried about the play a day later, saying he was just fine and that this type of thing is just part of being in a heated series. Evander Kane wouldn’t divulge his thoughts publicly, but it is clear he at least wasn’t a big fan of what transpired on the ice.
Edmonton won’t get much of a chance to exact revenge on Soucy, at least in the immediate future, as he will miss tomorrow night’s Game 4 due to that aforementioned suspension. Zadorov, who initially cross-checked McDavid, might be the player who winds up having to answer the call.