The first NHL playoff fine entirely reignites intense Toronto frustration over player safety
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Sean Durzi's headbutt to Rasmus Andersson came with a $5,000 fine. That means the old debate over the bias of player safety against the Toronto Maple Leafs is back.
During Game One of Vegas and Utah's Round One matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there was a pretty testy and heated affair that took the two teams from simple opponents to heated rivals fast.
Durzi receives $5K fine for his headbutt as Player Safety strikes again
While Vegas came away with the victory, it was Utah that came away with some unfortunate punishment after Mammoth blueliner Sean Durzi headbutted Golden Knights defender Rasmus Andersson:
As you can see, Durzi laid in a strong headbutt to Andersson who immediately looked towards the officials for a penalty. Those actions led Durzi to find himself on the end of some minor punishment from NHL Player Safety.
Durzi was fined $5,000 for the infraction and while it's a pretty light sentence and won't deter him from getting under Vegas' skin again — it does bring up pretty interesting little debate.
Well, okay it's a big debate: What is the NHL's true issue with the Maple Leafs?
NHL's bias against Toronto on full display despite not even making the playoffs
At least when it comes to player safety, the Maple Leafs seem to always get the short end of the stick whether it's Radko Gudas being suspended only five games for taking out Auston Matthews, or Bobby McMann getting suspended a game for accidentally bonking someone on the head.
Meanwhile Sam Bennett went and took out Anthony Stolarz in the playoffs last year with an elbow and go away scot-free. This is an officiating crew who a year later handed out power-play after power-play for the most light infractions.
It's a case of whether or not the league truly values their biggest money-maker or if they are happy with letting them get punished one way or another; just as long as that sweet, sweet money keeps flowing.
Granted, you can't headbutt someone like Durzi did but you also can't target a goalie intentionally with an elbow either. There needs to be some parity between the NHL's decisions with Toronto vs. other teams otherwise you're going to only make the fan outrage ring louder.
For the Mammoth and Durzi, they don't mind paying a small fee for the chance to agitate Andersson and the Golden Knights again.
But the decision also agitated a lot of Maple Leafs fans who feel the equity in the NHL is as bad as it has ever been.
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