Keefe and Tavares react to slashing fine handed down by DoPS
While it was nice to see a Leaf finally stand up for themselves after years of abuse in front of the net, the two hand slash John Tavares hit Vincent Desharnais with crossed a line with the Department of Player Safety. Tavares was handed a $5000 fine by George Parros earlier today. The truth is that he probably deserved it. It if had been a Leaf player getting slashed like that I would have been calling for supplemental discipline as well. Still, every player has their breaking point, and Desharnais pushed Tavares past his. I don't mind him defending himself, but I completely understand him being fined for it.
Tavares seemed upset with himself over the incident for his lack of discipline when he spoke to reporters about it after practice today:
Just have to control your emotions better in that situation regardless of what I may feel or something going on that I don't like. I'm better than that and I learn from it. - John Tavares
While Tavares believes he made a mistake and took things too far, Sheldon Keefe seems to disagree. The Leafs coach also commented on the altercation today:
Players take liberties on top players, especially in tight games. It seems not much gets called. Sometimes players have to stand up for themselves. I have no problem with it. I have no concerns about John's ability to keep his composure - Sheldon Keefe
I have to say I agree with Keefe on this one. As a hothead in his playing days it's not surprising Keefe thinks JT could stand up for himself more often. The Leafs' captain is well known for keeping his emotions in check, it's nice to see him bite back for once. As for the fine itself, Tavares makes $11,000,000 per year. I'm sure he's not worried about being able to afford his kombucha without that $5,000.
| POLL | ||
MARS 12 | 354 ANSWERS Keefe and Tavares react to slashing fine handed down by DoPS Would you like to see more Leafs giving it back to opponents? | ||
| Obviously, it's well past time | 207 | 58.5 % |
| No, stay out of the box | 26 | 7.3 % |
| Send a message once in a while but not every game | 121 | 34.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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