Everyone will have an opinion on the hit delivered by Zach Whitecloud on Matthew Knies during Wednesday night’s Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs game. They have the right to their opinion, including that of former NHL head coach Bruce Boudreau.
The Washington Capitals Impressed Former Coach This Offseason
However, we here at NHLRumors.com will not change his opinion. Still, we will give you ours to allow you to make an informed decision on the hit or at least have a reasonable discussion about whether Zach Whitecloud should have been given a penalty or handed out supplemental discipline.
Before we dive into the topic, the referees on the ice looked at the hit with the Situation Room and determined that the hit was a good hockey hit. Then, penalties were assessed after the play against Whitecloud and Simon Benoit. However, the hit itself was not penalized, nor was it reviewed by the NHL for a suspension.
In the eyes of the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety, Zach Whitecloud’s hit was a good hockey hit with an unfortunate result.
Back to Bruce Boudreau and his comments. Boudreau, who spoke on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio and SportsCenter with Jay Onrait, felt the hit was high and to Knies’s head and that Whitecloud left his feet.
“When I’m watching it, I mean, from the first angle, I said, I said, Okay, he went through the chest and hit him in the head. But when I watched it from the other angle, it looked like it was a direct hit to the head. Now both of those angles can be misleading. But what sold it to me that it should have been five is when Zach came over and he left his feet to make the hit. That means he tried to hit him high, and he tried to hit him, maybe in the chest, but to me, he got him in the jaw,” Boudreau said. “And it should have been a five-minute penalty. I don’t know why it wasn’t. It was called really quickly. So, I mean, they must have said, Hey, he started to hit him in the sweater and the upper chest. But to me, when you leave your feet, that’s a little bit of intention. And he, you know, he put him out of the game, which they wouldn’t have known at that time. But I think that’s, that’s a pretty serious hit to me.”
Now Boudreau has coached in the NHL with the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, and Minnesota Wild. He has also played the game. However, the one thing he got wrong is that Whitecloud did not leave his feet to make the hit.
This hit from Zach Whitecloud on Matthew Knies was deemed no penalty after a review.
Thoughts on the call? pic.twitter.com/Q2BN1Vq68r
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 21, 2024
As the video shows, Whitecloud’s skates were on the ice when he initiated contact with Knies’ right shoulder and arm. He then followed through the body. We have seen players hit like this before and leave their feet. Whitecloud did not go out of his way to leave his feet and go after the head.
“When you slow it down, this is 100% shoulder-on-shoulder… but because it’s so fast, it ends up snapping his head back.”@FutaMichael and @Mattymar89 debate the legality of Zach Whitecloud’s hit on Matthew Knies.#VegasBorn #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/Fjsi0KCfuJ
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) November 21, 2024
As 48.1 Illegal Check to the Head states: “A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head was the main point of contact and such contact to the head was avoidable is not permitted. There are several conditions to the rule that can be found here.
NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and the Carolina Hurricanes
As the rulebook clearly states, it is the main point of contact. The words “initial” or “principal point of contact” are not in the NHL Rulebook. Furthermore, it is up to the referee’s discretion.
The hit by Zach Whitecloud was similar to the hits Jacob Trouba has been delivering throughout his career, most recently on Justin Barron of the Montreal Canadiens. This is a similar type of hit with a terrible result.
“If you want there to be physical contact and big hits in the NHL, that has to be a clean hit.”
The panel weighs in on Jacob Trouba’s huge hit on Justin Barron. pic.twitter.com/xuHpU8KAbj
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 27, 2024
As a former NHL Referee and current ESPN analyst has stated, “From what I have seen, a majority of hits are all legal. Painfully legal.”
NHL News: The Toronto Maple Leafs Extend Jake McCabe
It was a tough result for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were already without Auston Matthews and Max Domi. Losing another player made the bench even shorter. But head coach Craig Berube did not have an issue with the hit either.
Craig Berube on the Whitecloud hit on Knies:
“It’s a hockey hit. It’s been around forever … It’s a clean hit. It’s a tough play. He’s in a vulnerable position a little bit. The guy was on him from behind & it’s a tough play. It is, but it’s hockey. That’s part of the game.”
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) November 21, 2024
Again, everyone has an opinion on the hit. This will not go away. Hockey is a game of hitting, and bad results happen if you do not protect yourself as a player.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s new and we’re just getting started. Rumor roundups and hot topics from around the league.
