Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin says the rising number of dangerous hits resulting in injuries — including one that recently knocked him unconscious — is concerning to players across the NHL.
“As a player, I’m closely attached because I just went through something, but I’ve talked to guys on our team, guys on other teams, it’s hard to feel safe out there, it’s hard to know how to protect yourself,” Larkin said Tuesday. “I truly believe we have the best refs in the world in the NHL. I just think it’s the message being sent down from the top is what is safe and what it not and how to discipline, there’s a lot of questions there and it’s kind of scary as a player.”
Larkin was briefly knocked unconscious following a collision with Ottawa Senators forwards Mathieu Joseph and Parker Kelly in the first period of a game on Dec. 9. A stretcher was brought out onto the ice but Larkin was able to get to his feet and gingerly skate off the ice with assistance. He missed the next three games with a head and jaw injury but was able to return Monday against the Ducks.
Intially Joseph was given a five-minute major penalty on the play but after a video review the officials awarded both Joseph and Kelly two-minute minor penalties for roughing. Additionally, Red Wings forward David Perron was given a match penalty and later suspended six games for a cross-check to Senators defenceman Artem Zub in an apparent move to defend his captain.
Larkin said he didn’t remember much from the play but that he was “embarrassed” after watching it. He added that the injury has nothing to do with his past history of neck injuries and that he holds no grudge against Joseph, a player he also has a history with.
“It’s just not something you want to be a part of,” Larkin said. “I was not happy with how it went and how the after-effects went. It’s not really a hockey play and it’s just unfortunate that’s how my last week has been.”
All of the chaos of that Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena was further put under the spotlight as it came on the same weekend as a number of big hits in other games, some of which resulted in injuries and suspensions.
That included:
• Wild defenceman Jonas Brodin being injured on a hit from the Oilers’ Evander Kane that was not penalized.
• Jets star Kyle Connor suffering a serious injury after a knee-on-knee collision with the Ducks’ Ryan Strome that resulted in a five-minute major penalty but no suspension.
• Columbus’s Erik Gudbranson earning a one-game suspension for being the aggressor in a fight as a response to a boarding hit from the Panthers’ Nick Cousins.
Larkin spoke calmly and measured on Tuesday as he alluded to those instances. But his point was clear, players want safety and consistency on the ice.
“It’s been really on my mind, a lot,” Larkin said. “You always see what’s going on around the league so maybe it’s because I’m thinking about it more, I don’t believe so… there’s a lot going on and that’s all I have to say.”
