The biggest story surrounding the NHL this week has involved a former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman — Radko Gudas. Last week, Gudas injured Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews following a knee-on-knee hit. Matthews was ruled out for the remainder of this season due to a grade 3 MCL tear and a knee contusion. Due to the intent of the hit by Gudas and with Matthews out for the rest of the season, NHL fans expected him to be handed a lengthy suspension.
Instead, Gudas was only given a phone review by the NHL's Department of Player Safety, which carries a maximum punishment of five games. Sure enough, that was the official punishment handed by the league to Gudas.
On Tuesday, Department of Player Safety senior vice president George Parros defended the decision to only give Gudas a five-game suspension, saying that they looked at the play and not the player.
“I feel confident in this decision,” said Parros, h/t Sportnet. “We came to it for good reason. When we evaluate these plays, we look at the play, not the players. And when we determine if this is play is worthy of supplemental discipline, we then look at the history of the players involved and if there’s an injury or not. This is how we come to make all of our decisions. We did this and made the decision under those circumstances, felt that this was the appropriate response, and we stand by it.”
Given Gudas' history, especially with his suspensions as a member of the Flyers, Parros got it wrong.
Radko Gudas' lengthy Flyers suspension history shows NHL got latest punishment wrong
This is what the NHL Department of Player Safety said in their video explaining Gudas' suspension:
"In an attempt to make a defensive play on Matthews, Gudas leads with his knee, jutting it forward and making forceful, direct contact with Matthews, causing him to fall to the ice. This is kneeing. It's important to note that Gudas is in control of this play. We acknowledge Gudas' assertion that he is attempting to make a full-body check and prevent a goal. But this contact cannot be excused as a play in which evasive or sudden movements by either player are the primary of the knee-on-knee contact. If he wants to deliver this hit, the onus is on Gudas to ensure that he makes an approach that allows him to deliver a legal, full-body check. Instead, having led with an extended knee and now finding himself lined up outside of Matthews' core, Gudas leans towards contact with Matthews in a way that results in a forceful, dangerous, and direct knee-to-knee collision."
It's important to note that the video did acknowledge that Gudas had been suspended four previous times in his career, all with the Flyers. But they did say the last time Gudas had been suspended was seven years ago. Still, his history does set a precedent.
Here are the four times that Gudas had been suspended, how many games, and for what instance:
Year | # Games Suspended | Reason for Suspension |
|---|---|---|
2015 | 3 | Illegal check to the head to Mika Zibanejad of the Ottawa Senators |
2016 | 6 | Inteference on Boston Bruins forward Austin Czirnak |
2017 | 10 | Slashing Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault in the neck |
2019 | 2 | High-sticking Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov |
It's important to note that Parros didn't become the head of the Department of Player Safety until before the 2017-18 season, and he issued Gudas' 10-game suspension for slashing Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault in the neck. But in 2019, he handed a two-game suspension to Gudas, but that was after he was issued a minor penalty.
This instance involving Matthews, Gudas was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct after the knee-to-knee hit. Yet, given Gudas' suspension history, he didn't even receive an in-person hearing. Yes, he hasn't been suspended for over seven years, but given his other punishments, you can see why there was such an uproar in complaints over Parros' decision.
Matthews' agent, Judd Moldaver, was incensed over the suspension.
""In light of the obvious severity of the play, I am disappointed and shocked that the league would allow such a ruling. A phone hearing and five games is laughable and preposterous. While the hearing process is pre-fixed in our CBA, that there was no further discipline is a reckless and ridiculous position for Player Safety. This decision results in a further loss of confidence in the disciplinary process for all players. Players and fans deserve better. The Player Safety Department should be suspended," said Moldaver, h/t Sportsnet.
Gudas' punishment is final, and he is currently still serving the suspension as of this writing. But days after the suspension was handed down, the debate still rages on.