NHL should focus on enforcing rules, not karma

Whilst the Edmonton Oilers playoffs are finally over, some NHL fans have questioned why Evander Kane was only suspended for one game for boarding Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri.

Video Transcript

JULIAN MCKENZIE: With that hit though, from Evander Kane in game three on Nazem Kadri, which-- Nazem Kadri being out, that is going to hurt them, I think. But that was such a boneheaded, idiotic hit from Evander Kane at the worst possible time. And it made Edmonton's job harder in game four, not having him in the lineup. But it's just such a bad hit.

I figured like they were going to suspend him for the rest of the series. And essentially, that's what ended up happening. I mean, one game-- could you imagine if you there there's won game four, and they had game five, and he would have come back?

OMAR: Exactly. I hate that perspective of we're only going to suspend them one game because we're sure the series is going to end. I'm like, OK, but what if it didn't? Hockey's stupid. We've seen dumb things happen left and right. Again, Edmonton was winning.

If they hold on, if they score one more goal, heck, if it's-- what was the prospect's name, the kid who's making his NHL debut?

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: Phil Holloway, yeah,

OMAR: If he skates down ice, gets a breakaway, first NHL-- I thought that was going to happen. I'm not going to lie. I thought that was going to happen. I thought he was going to score the game-winner. If that happens, OK, then you extend the series. You get Evander Kane back.

So the way in which suspensions are given just make no fricking sense. I don't understand how you can look at that and say that's one game. Oh, but it's a playoff game, so it actually means two. It's so--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, I hate that reasoning so much.

OMAR: It's so dumb. And then I don't know where I saw it. But do you know this is the third suspension in the playoffs, period? Which is wild, considering all the things that we've--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: This year?

OMAR: In this playoffs, this is the third. It was only Kyle Clifford, Darnell Nurse for headbutting-- I forgot who it--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Phillip Danault.

OMAR: Right, for headbutting Phillip Danualt and then this, and that's it. That makes no frigging sense. Tell me this is the worst thing we've seen in the playoffs this year. No way.

So again, we get back to the same conversation about playoff suspensions and penalties and so on and so forth. And again, I think it's an idiotic hit from Kane, regardless of what it would do to the team, but also the fact that Kadri's in a completely dangerous, vulnerable position. But it makes no fricking sense. I don't understand how you can look at that and say, yeah, that's only one game one, playoff game. It's dumb. I don't get it.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I don't get it either.

SAM CHANG: And the flipside is if Kadri did it, he would have been tossed for so many games.

OMAR: Oh, my god. They would give him eviction papers. He'd be out of the league. They'd be like, no, you're done, get out of here. Unbelievable. Oh, but karma.

SAM CHANG: I hate that. By the way, if you're one of those people who have been going around being like, Kadri deserves it, it's karma, shut up. That's the stupidest reasoning of all time. You want the league to enforce the rules, you enforce it regardless of who it is. It's not about karma. It's about enforcing the rules.

Sorry, no player, regardless of their history, deserves to be injured. And if you think that, go get some therapy.

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: It's caveman logic. Why would you want to see a guy get hurt? It's so dumb.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: All right, I'm glad that only stupid hockey fans and empty Twitter eggs on Twitter were the only ones who put out tweets that said karma after the Nazem Kadri hit. There was no significant person of interest who thought it would be funny to do that thing. Nope, no, sir.

SAM CHANG: No former referee who also said that Kadri brought all the threats against him upon himself in the last series. Not suspicious at all.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I never heard anyone do anything like that. No, sir. Nope, not us. You're not going to get zone time on that today, only facts on this side.

OMAR: Man, the fricking NHL--

SAM CHANG: If I have just been caught on a hot mic and that got me fired, I would just consider the things that I put into public.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: This dude's been on more mics since that event.

[LAUGHTER]

He's not a friend. If my claim to fame was that I got got saying something that I shouldn't have been saying on a hot mic, you would never see me again. I would not go on Twitter. That is the last place I would go.