A decision has been made by the NHL if Max Jones is going to be suspended or not after hitting a referee
The NHL has reached a decision on whether or not they are going to suspend or discipline Max Jones after hitting an NHL ref with his stick during the opening night game between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers.
The last two years the Boston Bruins, and Florida Panthers have met in the playoffs, and both times the Florida Panthers have come out on top. These teams over that time have built some hatred for each other.
Max Jones and Evan Rodrigues got engaged in a scrum in front of the Boston bruins net, when Max Jones hit a ref with his stick while trying to slash Rodrigues' stick away.
Many believed that Max Jones was going to get suspended or some sort of discipline, but it seems like they are going to compare the situation to Nathan MacKinnon's in 2022 where he received no discipline for a similar situation.
"The safety of our on-ice officials is, and has always been, of paramount importance to us. In this regard, we have always exercised a zero tolerance policy when it comes to any form of abuse of our officials. Last night, one of our officials was struck by a player with his stick immediately after a face-off. We immediately investigated the incident, and, having conferred with the on-ice officiating crew and the NHL's Officials' Association, it has been determined that the player's intention was not to strike the official, but, rather, to initiate contact with the opposing player. Given this conclusion, it has been determined that no further discipline is necessary. This decision should in no way be seen as a diminution of our steadfast conviction to protect our officials."
Max Jones got off with this one, but if something like this happens in the future, you never know what could happen with how inconsistent the NHL Player Safety is.
As seen on Hawksinsider:
Discipline for Boston Bruins Max Jones announced after viciously slashing referee
NHL players in this story
Nathan MacKinnon
Evan Rodrigues
Max Jones
