Connor McDavid isn’t someone who needs to be reminded that driving to the net is dangerous. He’s learned that lesson the hard way. The Edmonton Oilers captain has suffered two significant injuries in collisions near the net, including a devastating knee injury in 2019.
So when Drew Helleson cross-checked him into the goalpost during Thursday’s 5–4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, McDavid’s reaction wasn’t simply frustration over another penalty call. It brought back a concern he’s been raising for years.
McDavid appreciated Vasily Podkolzin stepping in to defend him, even though Podkolzin received an instigator penalty, a fighting major and a game misconduct. Anaheim scored on the resulting power play. But McDavid’s bigger point came afterward.
He questioned why the NHL doesn’t treat a player being driven into the goal frame with the same seriousness as a player being sent into the end boards.
McDavid Knows How Quickly a Goalpost Can Change Everything
“Those are plays that I’ve been really, really hurt on before,” McDavid said. “Going into the end wall, going into the net. Those types of plays I find to be dangerous.” He went further, making the comparison that deserves attention.
“I wish that we treated the net like we treat the end wall. If I do that to him going Mach 1 into the end wall, that’s a five-game suspension and everything. The net is just as dangerous in my opinion, with the goalie there, the post there. It’s just as dangerous.”
It’s difficult to dismiss that concern when you look at McDavid’s history. In November 2015, during his rookie season, he crashed into the end boards against Philadelphia and broke his collarbone. He missed 37 games.
Then came April 2019. Driving toward the net against Calgary, McDavid collided with the goalpost and suffered a serious knee injury that required a lengthy recovery. He later made it clear he wasn’t going to change the aggressive style that makes him one of hockey’s most effective players. He raised similar concerns after a dangerous trip involving Chris Tanev during a 2021 preseason game.
McDavid Leaves the NHL With a Question to Answer
Here’s what I find interesting: McDavid isn’t asking the league to take away the physical side of hockey. Defenders have to protect the net, and nobody expects them to give a superstar a free path to the crease. But there’s a difference between defending a scoring chance and putting a player in danger of crashing into a rigid metal post.
The NHL already has rules covering dangerous contact. The question is whether officials and the Department of Player Safety are applying them consistently when the collision involves the goal frame.
McDavid has experienced the consequences. He still drives to the net, and that’s not likely to change. Perhaps the league should give his warning a little more attention before another player discovers just how unforgiving that goalpost can be.
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