The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Thursday that Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud would not face supplemental discipline for his shoulder-to-head hit on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies during Wednesday night’s game.
The decision was accompanied by a detailed explanation from the department and comments from its head, George Parros.
Adding to the official NHLPA breakdown, Parros also appeared on Sports on Prime Canada's "NHL on Prime" to provide even further comment.
“We don’t like to see head contact, and it’s unfortunate Knies had to leave the game,” Parros said. “However, we felt Whitecloud approached his hit through the center of the body and made contact with both the body and head in a manner consistent with the rules.”
Some people argued that Whitecloud left his feet on the hit, but Parros countered, saying, “We acknowledge some element of elevation, but players naturally transfer body weight into hits.
”It didn’t reach an excessive degree requiring discipline.”
The hit, which occurred midway through the second period of Toronto’s 3–0 victory, left Knies visibly shaken and forced him to leave the game.
Whitecloud's hit was initially assessed as a major penalty, but the call was downgraded to a minor penalty after a video review on the ice.
Despite visible head contact, the Department of Player Safety determined the hit was legal under Rule 48.
“We see Knies’s entire body stopped in its tracks and driven backward simultaneously with his head, in a way that indicates the body absorbed the force of this check,” the department explained in a video. “This means the head contact is considered unavoidable on a play where the hitter is otherwise throwing a legal full-body check.”
Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube echoed the department’s stance, calling the play a “hockey hit” and emphasizing that such collisions have long been part of the game.
"It’s a hockey hit. It’s been around forever. It’s a clean hit," Berube said, per Sportsnet. "It’s a tough play. He's in a vulnerable position a little bit. The guy was on him from behind and it's a tough play. It is, but it’s hockey. That’s part of the game."
Regarding Knies' status and availability, Berube only said that the forward is "still being evaluated" and that he "feels better."
Toronto returns to play on Sunday when the Maple Leafs will face the Utah Hockey Club home at Scotiabank Arena.
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