Wray Morrison: We are doing what now? 

To use a 2018 term, I “laugh out loud” when I hear people from inside NHL circles say that players can police themselves.

On Saturday night I saw Zach Hyman of the Maple Leafs take a run at Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins against the end boards well after the puck had left his stick. McAvoy, who recently missed 19 games due to a concussion, was slow to get up. The answer to this is a fight, of course. Boston’s Matt Grzelcyk fought Hyman. I am assuming that is in accordance with “the code”, which I still don’t have a copy of.

While I’m led to believe that Grzelcyk’s actions should have been the deterrent, Boston’s Chris Wagner attempted to level Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly a minute after the fight. I’m assuming that Wagner’s actions are in retaliation to the Hyman hit. Grzelcyk’s actions weren’t enough apparently. So the answer of course, is another fight! Ron Hainsey of the Leafs then stepped in to fight Wagner.

Well, on Sunday the NHL suspended Hyman for two games for his hit on McAvoy.

This theory of players policing this game themselves didn’t seem to work that well.