Every week there appears to be a new controversy surrounding the NHL's Department of Player Safety. The department currently run by former NHL enforcer, George Parros has drawn heavy criticism due to their inconsistent performance. Today was no different.
During last night's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment delivered hit to the head of Leafs' defender, Jake McCabe. The hit left McCabe bloodied and according to Sheldon Keefe, the referees had deemed the hit clean on the ice.
Despite claiming that the league intends to remove hits to the head where possible, today, Player Safety announced that Marchment would not face suspension for his actions. Instead he would only be forced to pay a $5,000 fine, the maximum allowable under the current collective bargaining agreement.
Most notably, the was actually fined for interference and did not reference the contact made to the head. Fans immediately reacted to the punishment and as is usually the case the reaction was not positive.