Erie Otters head coach Kris Knoblauch says he would prefer if superstar forward Connor McDavid would stay out of fights.
Appearing on Brady & Walker Wednesday morning, Knoblauch explained his perspective after McDavid suffered a hand injury during a fight in Tuesday’s game with Bryson Cianfrone of the Mississauga Steelheads.
“We don’t want Connor doing it,” Knoblauch said on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “Connor is a competitive person whose emotions are going to get to him sometimes. I’m not saying he acted badly, but he gets upset sometimes and sometimes that leads to a fight.”
Because of McDavid’s reputation as an elite-level prospect, Knoblauch said it’s common for opposing teams to give him a few extra shots to try and knock him off his game. “I don’t think there was a point in the game where they were targeting him,” he explained. “Before the fight there was an exchange of slight crosschecks and a light slash. Most often they don’t get called and it led to the fight. I don’t think anything was transpiring and I don’t think anyone could see a fight happening.
“This is two guys competing and (McDavid) was getting upset and the gloves came off.”
McDavid will receive further testing in Toronto on Wednesday before the Otters know more about his status.
