I Can't Be The Only One Who Thinks Chris Kreider Did Nothing Wrong When Beating Cody Eakin Over The Head With His Own Helmet
Chris Kreider and Cody Eakin decided to drop the mitts last night during the Stars’ 7-6 win over the Rangers. Aside from the fact that there were 13 goals scored in this game the night after the Caps and Pens combined for 15 goals, the thing most people are talking about today is Kreider bashing Eakin’s skull with his own bucket.
Personally, I file this one under “no harm, no foul”. Especially since this is retaliation for Eakin taking a run at Lundqvist earlier in the year. But the Department of Player Safety, as inconsistent as always, felt the need to take $5,000 out of Kreider’s wallet for the action.
Pretty outrageous if you ask me, especially considering he only hit him once with the helmet. And correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t helmets intended to PROTECT your head? Is Chris Kreider not being a good friend here and trying to help Cody Eakin out after he lost his helmet mid-fight? Sort of a “hey buddy, you might need this” type of scenario. And is it Chris Kreider’s fault that Eakin’s helmet came off so easily? Seems like a pretty clear case of entrapment here to me. Eakin knows that if he loosens up his helmet a little bit before the fight, that Kreider won’t be able to stop himself from using it as a piece of large weaponry.
All I’m saying is that this just seems like basic human nature. When you’re fighting somebody, you just rely on your instincts at that point. And when a helmet ends up in your hands, your basic instincts tell you to use that as a weapon. And up until a few years ago, this is something that would have been celebrated. Chris Kreider would have awarded the Mike Milbury Badge of Honor for pulling this move. But now he’s down $5,000 and he didn’t even get a couple bottles of Ace Of Spades out of it. Sad!