from Ian Mendes of The Athletic,

If players are confused about the appropriate level of discipline being levied for dangerous hits, they will take matters into their own hands. Gudbranson was not satisfied that Cousins was only given a minor penalty for what he felt was a dangerous and reckless hit. So after Cousins refused to engage in a fight in the immediate aftermath of the hit, Gudbranson chased him down the next time they were on the ice together.

Gudbranson tackled Cousins to the ice and delivered six consecutive punches to the Florida forward’s head and neck. You can argue that Cousins got what was coming to him and that Gudbranson’s brand of vigilante justice was warranted. After all, Cousins didn’t square up and fight Gudbranson fairly, which is tantamount to ignoring hockey’s unwritten code.

But celebrating Gudbranson’s retaliation is a slippery slope.

Endorsing Gudbranson’s brand of vigilante justice puts us dangerously close to inviting another Steve Moore-Todd Bertuzzi incident.

more ($) with other examples...