Hockey’s getting ugly: Star players trade dangerous headshots as debate over fighting heats up
Connor McDavid and Tyler Myers crossed a dangerous line this weekend, trading vicious headshots that have the hockey world buzzing. Both players used their sticks like weapons, targeting their opponents’ heads in a way that has no place in the sport.
Former NHL player Kevin Bieksa didn’t hold back when discussing the incidents on Sportsnet.
“If there’s ever an argument to keep fighting in the NHL, this is why,” Bieksa said bluntly.
He thinks today’s strict rules against fighting are actually making the game more dangerous, not safer.
The problem? Edmonton had their skilled players on the ice – guys like McDavid and Draisaitl who aren’t fighters. Vancouver’s lineup was grittier, but with fighting heavily restricted, tensions had nowhere to go.
“Something’s gonna give,” Bieksa explained. “And because there’s no fighting… this is what you’re gonna get. You’re gonna get a cross-check to the face, you’re gonna get stick work.”
The Myers incident especially bothered Bieksa. Instead of challenging his opponent to a traditional hockey fight – where players might “just wrestle each other to the ice and nobody gets hurt” – Myers went for a dangerous cross-check to the face.
Here’s the thing though: Bieksa isn’t defending either player’s actions.
“They’re both the same bad cross-check to the head,” he said. “They’re both suspensions – I don’t know how you argue those.”
The league office is now reviewing both incidents. Hockey fans are waiting to see what punishments McDavid and Myers will face.
It’s sparked a bigger conversation about fighting’s role in hockey. Does allowing players to drop the gloves actually prevent worse violence? Or is that just old-school thinking that needs to go?
The NHL has some tough decisions ahead as it tries to keep players safe while preserving the sport’s physical nature.
