Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Reilly well deserves his five-game suspension imposed by the National Hockey League (NHL). Recall that he sneakily hit Ridley Grieg, of the Ottawa Senators, from behind, several seconds after the stoppage of play, following a goal scored in an empty net at the end of the game.
A professional NHL player de facto agrees to be hit during a match, hockey being a contact sport, and implicitly consents to the risk of injury.
However, I believe that this player did not consent to being attacked outside of regulation playing time or when he is in a vulnerable position and does not represent a threat to the opposing team. A stick or elbow protector can become a weapon. Illegally hitting someone in the head with a blunt object with the intention of injuring them is, according to the Criminal Code, an assault punishable by punishment. NHL players should respect the law like any ordinary citizen. We must not tolerate gratuitous violence in sport.
The Players’ Association opposed the sanction. Should it be more concerned about the safety of its members and the prevention of post-traumatic encephalopathy or their short-term income?
Todd Bertuzzi and Marty McSorley were convicted in British Columbia of committing assaults during hockey games several years ago. The court did not grant them impunity because of their professional status. Should we ask the police and Crown prosecutors for more charges related to unjustified and gratuitous violence perpetrated during sporting events?
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