Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulstewart22
The right calls were made in the immediate aftermath of Montreal Canadiens forward Max Domi's sucker punch attack on Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. Domi was assessed a match penalty, a minor and a major per the NHL Rule Book. The NHL Department of Player Safety very quickly announced a supplementary discipline hearing for Domi.
Let's discuss this from a Rule Book standpoint: This was a classic case of the "aggressor rule" being implemented. Ekblad had no desire or intention to fight Domi, who would not let him skate away after engaging behind the net, and after exchanging shoves, threw a couple gloves-on pops at the still-uninterested Ekblad. With officials coming in, Domi sneakily dropped his right glove and threw a punch that dropped Ekblad to the ice and left him bloodied.
Ekblad reportedly underwent concussion protocol testing and was fine. That's the good news. What Domi did, however, was gutless and crossed the line. He deserves the suspension that is certain to come down on him.
Any way you slice it, what Max Domi did was the antithesis of genuine toughness and has no place in the game. I detest incidents such as those. As a former on-ice policeman as a player, longtime NHL ref, and as someone involved ever since on the officiating adminstrative and supplementary discipline sides of the game, I think it's despicable. But from an officiating and league response side in announcing a hearing, it was handled swiftly and taken seriously.
*********
A Class of 2018 inductee to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games. Today, Stewart is the director of hockey officiating for the ECAC. Visit his official website at YaWannaGo.com.