It really seems having watched this again that:

A) the three game suspension is probably not really because of anything
Kane actually did, but because the league understandably wants to protect
officials and not open the door to another player actually doing something aggressive

B) The official loses his temper and forgets his role and his job
because he accidentally caught some of Kane’s slash.
From that instant on, it looks from his expression and body language
like he’s angry and is going to go after Kane physically regardless
of what the player is or isn’t doing.

That’s ridiculous.

I hope the league is talking to him and telling him it’s not his job to
gratuitously confront and get into altercations with players.

Officials have tough jobs. We’ve all seen them accidentally hit by
errant pucks and sticks, etc. The should protect them as much as possible.
But they have no business getting into something personal with a player because
they’ve lost their cool.

Posted by lefty.30 on 10/02/19 at 10:02 PM ET

The linesman may have thought he was stopping a stick fight since Kane was slashing the guy but I agree with Burke on this one. 3 games for that is too much. Thrown out of that game and zero after would have been fine.

Posted by Royal Grand Exalted PooBah from the basement of the Alamo on 10/03/19 at 12:43 AM ET

The official should be given a 10 game suspension for annual of a player. Mitigating the suspension for Kane is ridiculous. Rules State it’s a 10 game suspension, it should either be 10 or nothing.

It should be nothing. Stupid NHL Wheel of (In)Justice

Posted by teldar on 10/03/19 at 08:35 AM ET

Abuse of a player. Stupid phone keyboard.

Posted by teldar on 10/03/19 at 08:36 AM ET

Posted by lefty.30 on 10/02/19 at 10:02 PM ET

good post, gotta agree. NHL has to protect the refs, but I hope they pull him aside and let him know that chasing Kane down and tackling him because he’s pissed he caught part of a slash is not acceptable.

Posted by MZ2215 on 10/03/19 at 08:56 AM ET