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Leafs forward Bobby McMann finally breaks his silence on controversial suspension
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann was forced to miss a game on Thursday night after he slashed Tampa Bay Lightning star Oliver Bjorkstrand in the head.
Bobby McMann elicited quite a bit of controversy on Monday night when he slashed Oliver Bjorkstrand across the head in what looked like an accident.
Of course, accident or not, you cannot go around slashing guys in the head, and the NHL Department of Player Safety had no choice but to act.
McMann got a one-game suspension, while Gage Goncalves got off scot-free for his knee-on-knee hit that injured Leafs defenseman Dakota Mermis.
This has elicited quite a bit of outrage, and there are some Maple Leafs fans out there who are feeling slighted by George Parros and Player Safety as an entity.
Bobby McMann weighs in on his slash
While speaking to the media on Friday, McMann was asked about his suspension and the play that ultimately led to him sitting out a game.
The forward was adamant that it was unintentional, and that he is glad no one was seriously hurt by what went down. Clearly, McMann is a stand-up guy.
There was nothing malicious about it, I was never trying to injure anybody. Luckily nobody was hurt, I think you just get in those battles where the hands get high and things kind of just escalate. [...] I think if you look at where that all started, you want to be there for a teammate. Then emotions are running high, that's kind of the biggest thing is where the attention should be looked at, is where it all started.
NHL Department of Player Safety under fire
Ever since McMann's suspension, the NHL Department of Player Safety has been catching some flak online from angry Toronto Maple Leafs fans.
The narrative has been that Parros is biased against the Leafs and that since he took over the DoPS, he has been punishing the franchise.
It's something that is impossible to prove, and if you ask any fanbase, we're sure they would accuse the DoPS of something similar. Having said that, the Leafs just need to make sure they avoid any negative situations, going forward.