The Stanley Cup playoffs are well underway, and emotions are, as usual, running high among the competing teams and fans. Now, fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs are calling out the league, pointing to a major conspiracy.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing the Florida Panthers in the second round of the playoffs. Despite winning the first game at home, Maple Leafs fans are furious with how the NHL is handling the heavy hitting and sometimes dirty plays by the Panthers. Most of the discussion has centered around a hit from Panthers forward Sam Bennett on Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz. Bennett struck Stolarz in the head during Game 1, forcing him to leave the game in an ambulance.
Not penalized
Bennett, however, was not penalized for the hit.
“Elbow to the head, clearly. Clear as day. I get it—they miss calls—but it’s clearly a penalty,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said postgame.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the league would not discipline Bennett for the hit, which has left many Leafs fans outraged. Now, fans and experts are accusing the NHL of conspiring against the Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans furious
In a YouTube video, Maple Leafs expert Steve Dangle calls out the NHL for letting Sam Bennett off the hook despite his violent history in the league. In the video, Dangle implies that Bennett isn’t being punished because of politics, directing his anger at George Parros, head of the NHL Department of Player Safety, and Colin Campbell, executive vice president and director of hockey operations.
“Let me speak to George Parros directly. How many times are you gonna get fooled by this guy? This is the third time—different teams, different players. But because he is Sam Bennett and he plays for a team you used to play for, is that it?” Dangle says in the clip.
“Is it because Colin Campbell’s son works for the team? If you suspend him, are you worried about getting a call from Colin Campbell? What is wrong with you, dude?” Dangle asks rhetorically.
Game 2 of the series will be played on Wednesday in Toronto. You can watch the clip below.
READ MORE: Insides take on Stolarz incident
