The NHL got underway with a bang Wednesday night with some great games involving old rivalries and new ones in the making. It did not come without complaints, though. One of the people complaining is Jeff Jackson, agent for Edmonton's Connor McDavid and several other NHLers. His firm, Wasserman/Orr Hockey Group, also represents Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews.
Jackson felt the need to point out that McDavid and other star players, from his perspective, are treated differently by officials.
"Great to see NHL hockey back last night. Such amazing athletes and so much speed and skill in the game now," said Jackson. "But watching the abuse that star players take is hard to watch. Felt like the 80's with the cross checks in the back and the hacking and slashing. NFL protects [quarterbacks]? Why don't we?"
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From several reports, McDavid was a clear target for the Vancouver Canucks Wednesday night, which shouldn't come as a surprise. But many fans felt the team was able to take liberties on McDavid that they wouldn't get away with on other players. It's also worth noting that former player and now analyst Mike Johnson pointed out that Matthews took a lot of abuse during the Montreal-Toronto game that wasn't called.
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"Pet peeve, it is common place and accepted that [Shea] Weber and [Ben] Chiarot can absolutely hammer Auston Matthews in the back in front of the Montreal net but if an offensive player were to commit the exact same infraction they would frequently get a penalty," said Johnson.
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Personal opinions on this issue likely vary based on which team you're cheering for. Obviously, talented players are always going to be targeted by opponents whose job it is to shut them down. Where the line gets drawn is at the discretion of the officials.
