Now one day removed from a brutal hit delivered by Seattle's Jordan Eberle on Colorado's Andrew Cogliano, gruesome details of the resulting injury have emerged. According to Elliotte Friedman, Cogliano fractured his neck on the play.
Eberle delivered an extremely dangerous hit on the play, one for which he will not face any supplemental discipline. Viewing the play, it's abundantly clear that Eberle hit Cogliano in an extremely vulnerable position, with the onus on him to avoid potentially harmful contact, that resulted in a brutal injury. Yet, not even a fine will be assessed on Eberle.
It's yet another case to add to the blatant and indefensible inconsistencies from the NHL's Department of Player Safety and George Parros. With previous suspensions taking into account injury, including Michael Bunting's suspension early in the playoffs, yet ignoring such a consequential and severe injury as a broken neck in this situation is unbelievable.
Avalanche players voiced their displeasure with the call in post game media scrums, fans across the internet of all teams have voiced discontent for the DOPS' decisions, and at some point, it could potentially become an issue for the NHLPA.
