The NHL's preseason injury toll in 2024 is still rising, but the worst happened on Saturday night when Cedric Pare appeared to intentionally take out star forward Patrik Laine in an attempt to gain a spot in the NHL.
In response, PK Subban, a former Montreal Canadien who is now an ESPN analyst, has addressed the matter and pointed out emphatically how disrespectful it is when a competitor for a roster spot approaches a well-known figure in this way.
In other words, Subban confirms what a lot of league fans have been saying since Saturday's game: elite players and seasoned veterans should be treated with more dignity than this.
Yes, that doesn't mean players like Pare shouldn't work hard and play hard, but there are other ways to leave an impression besides chasing a 26-year-old star with your knee in a play that appears more deliberate the more you watch it. It all boils down to respect in the end, as Subban states, and it's unlikely that a player like Pare deserves a spot in the NHL after what happened on Saturday if he can't even show respect for a preseason star like Laine.
In the end, Pare doesn't really have much of a future in the NHL, and taking this deliberate cheap shot won't help him either, so maybe he learns from it and hopefully Patrik Laine can return to the ice soon.
POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 29 | 162 ANSWERS PK Subban unleashes a tirade following Patrik Laine's severe injury Should the NHL shorten pre-season to avoid injuries caused by horrible incidents? | ||
Yes | 115 | 71 % |
No | 47 | 29 % |
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