Jake McCabe steps up, fights Tyler Myers over questionable hit on captain John Tavares
Kyle Dubas clearly wanted to add a lot of sandpaper to the Leafs' lineup this season before the trade deadline passed. Well, mission accomplished. During the first period of Saturday's matchup with the Vancouver Canucks, Luke Schenn set the tone with a couple of thunderous hits on his former teammates. Then, when Tyler Myers caught John Tavares with a high, borderline hit, Jake McCabe didn't hesitate. He immediately dropped the gloves to stand up for his captain.
McCabe isn't a small player at 6'1, 204lbs, but he was clearly punching above his weight class in this one. Still, he did well against his 6'8, 229lb opponent, landing a solid punch or two and scoring the takedown. This is exactly what the Leafs needed in their lineup. A good hockey player, sure, but also a tough customer with the courage to drop the mitts when necessary.
For his part in the fight, McCabe was assessed a 5 minute major for fighting, a 2 minute minor and a 10 minute misconduct for instigating. By the rulebook, that was the proper call. There was and will be debate over the Myers hit. On the ice, no penalty was called. Many, including myself, believe it was predatory, and that there was enough head contact to warrant a penalty call. There's a handy poll down below where you can weigh in on the hit.
| POLL | ||
4 MARS | 403 ANSWERS Jake McCabe steps up, fights Tyler Myers over questionable hit on captain John Tavares Should Myers have been penalized for the hit on Tavares? | ||
| No, keep your head up | 151 | 37.5 % |
| Yes, 2 minutes | 71 | 17.6 % |
| Yes, 5 minutes and a game | 99 | 24.6 % |
| He should be suspended | 82 | 20.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
