At this point, if you’ve been following suspension rulings during this season, you should know the drill. Player A nails Player B with a check that is clearly against the rules, although it’s nothing out of the ordinary in a league in which this stuff happens all the time. Player B expresses outrage that may or may not seem hypocritical considering his own checkered past. Finally, Player A expresses disbelief regarding the penalty or controversy regarding said hit.
So it should come as no surprise that Dany Heatley (Player A) disagrees with the two-game suspension he received for elbowing Steve Ott (Player B).
Not only did Heatley tell assembled media members that he didn’t think he caught Ott in the head (he said that he believes he caught Ott’s shoulder), he also became the latest professional hockey player to opt for the “pot calling the kettle black” route. CSN California’s Brodie Brazil has the story, including this quote.
In case you’re wondering what Ott actually said, here’s his comments, also via CSN California.
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As I mentioned before, it seems like a lot of hockey people are citing hypocrisy, sometimes to deflect the obvious wrongs they have committed. The bottom line is that Heatley deserved a suspension for the hit - many think that he should have gotten at least another game, especially with the GM meetings focusing on questionable hits - so the Kindergarten-grade “He started it” excuse isn’t going to fly.