Fans Hammer Jennifer Botterill Following Fiery Debate on Hockey Night in Canada

The play in question occurred during the game between the Penguins and the Canadiens. In the final seconds of the third period, when the outcome of the game was already known, Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj purposefully gave Penguins forward Noel Acciari a knee-on-knee hit. Acciari's hit on former first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky earlier in the game was cited by former NHL player and fellow Hockey Night in Canada host Kevin Bieksa as justification for the play.

Bieksa was referring to a play that occurred earlier in the third period when Slafkovsky and Acciari were vying for a loose puck. Slafkovsky was in a vulnerable position, reaching for the puck, but Acciari chose to hit rather than make a play on the puck, even though he had won the race.

The NHL Department of Player Safety made the rather odd announcement that Acciari would not face any additional punishment for the hit. Perhaps this is partly because Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj gave Acciari what he deserved during the game by hitting him dangerously in return.

Fortunately, these plays did not seem to seriously harm either Slafkovsky or Acciari. It should be mentioned, though, that Xhekaj is risking a lot with hits like these. He obviously meant to harm the Penguin, and even in circumstances like this, such behavior is unacceptable. He could have easily dropped the gloves or hit him with a huge clean hit instead, which would have been much more appropriate. This seems to have been the cause of Botterill's agitation.

On this one, however, the majority of fans support Bieksa. There is some truth to her statement that sometimes it is better to let the players make their own decisions rather than relying solely on eye-for-eye conflict. This time, it seemed to go well because nobody was gravely hurt and everyone had a chance to express their opinions.

It would appear that the NHL largely agrees with Bieksa and Gazdic given that no players were fined or suspended for their actions during this game. Despite this, hockey fans generally view the Department of Player Safety as a joke because their decisions are inconsistent. In that case, this is just another file.