George Parros has felt the heat ever since he took over the NHL’s Department of Player Safety in 2017 with a promise to crack down on slashing and non-hockey infractions. Several fans (and some players we bet) even demanded that Parros be removed as director of NHL’s Department of Player Safety following the incident between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers in May 2021 in which Parros’ department decided not to suspend Tom Wilson for punching and smashing the head of star player Artemi Panarin on the ice in a melee.
When asked about the work of Parros and the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, Brett Hull sounded off on the Cam and Strick podcast and made a just but surprising comment: “No matter what they do, somebody’s not gonna be happy.”
Hulk spent the bulk of his Hall of Fame career with the St. Louis Blues and played for close to 20 years. He knows what he’s talking about. We bet we wouldn’t want to take on Parros’ job as the head of the NHL Player Safety…
During their playing years, Hull and Parros were different breeds. While Hull claimed the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1989-90, Parros racked up 1,092 penalty minutes in 474 regular-season games with the Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens. But he was never fined or suspended.
