Should Dwyane Wade Get A Call From The NHL Department Of Player Safety For This Knee To The Head Of Aleksander Barkov?
So the Miami Heat took down the Utah Jazz last night by a score of 102-100. According to Greenie, it was the game of the night. However, the game took a very unfortunate and disgusting turn late in the 4th quarter as Dwyane Wade launched himself into the crowd and kneed an unsuspecting bystander directly in the head. That unsuspecting bystander? Well it just so happened to be Aleksander Barkov, captain of the Florida Panthers.
What is even more sickening is the reaction from the crowd. The fans in Miami were applauding Wade for this headshot on Barkov. Now I understand that in the 70’s and 80’s and 90’s, people used to live for this type of shit. This is what hockey was all about back then. But times change. People evolve and it’s time for the game to evolve as well. We simply cannot have these types of headshots in the game anyway. There is enough research on repeated head trauma at this point that we know how dangerous these types of plays can be. Even if Barkov wasn’t diagnosed with a concussion, this type of blow to the head can still have plenty of impact on his brain moving forward. And the good, hard working people of Miami were cheering for that? Disgraceful.
Should D Wade at least receive a call from the NHL Department of Player Safety today? You’re damn right he should. Intentional or not, we can have guys out there throwing around flying knees to the dome. I think the fact that he made contact with his left knee instead of the lead right knee should give him a little more leeway in his defense and maybe the DoPS can be a little lenient here. But a fine at the very least is warranted. Can’t be letting things like this go by with zero repercussions. Sets a terrible precedent.