Former NHL enforcer John Scott condemned Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield for executing a “gutless” takedown on Washington Capitals center Connor McMichael on Wednesday.
The two players dropped gloves in the third period of Carolina’s 5-1 win. With both losing their helmets early in the scrap, Chatfield took McMichael down forcefully to the ice in a wrestling-style slam.
While McMichael wasn’t injured on the play, many criticized Chatfield’s actions as unnecessarily dangerous. Scott was among them, tweeting:
“Gutless. Intent to injure. This should be a multi-game suspension. No discipline. … what are we doing here?”
Both players received matching five-minute fighting majors and 10-minute misconducts.
The fight occurred during a chaotic seven-minute stretch that saw 120 total penalty minutes. There were eight misconducts, four fighting majors and 10 minor penalties assessed between the two teams.
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery hinted his frustration over some uncalled plays leading up to the incident:
“There were just a few plays before (the takedown) that, you know. … player safety is a big thing. Guys are so good at policing each other on what’s dangerous or what’s not, and there were a few dangerous plays that start to get. … you can feel the temperature raising.”
Carbery pointed out a few moments in the game where, given the score (5-1), missed calls by the refs led players to take matters into their own hands. He emphasized that this is when player safety becomes a concern, as teammates step up to defend each other.
The Capitals and Hurricanes won’t have to wait long for a rematch, as the division rivals are scheduled to play again next week in Washington.
Craig Button calls for a “suspension” for Jalen Chatfield
Craig Button, TSN’s Director of Scouting, called for Jalen Chatfield to be suspended for his dangerous takedown of Washington Capitals forward Connor McMichael.
“This is a dangerous play. It’s an intent to injure play, there’s no room for it,” Button said (per TSN).
He added that it was simply good fortune that McMichael wasn’t seriously injured on the play. Button believes Chatfield’s actions warrant a suspension from the league.
“The way he whips him around over his leg, I think it has to be a suspension. There’s no place for that in this sport of hockey,” Button said.
The 28-year-old Jalen Chatfield is in his first season of a three-year, $9 million contract with Carolina. He has six goals and 17 points along with 49 penalty minutes in 74 games this season.
Edited by Bhargav
