Ken Hitchcock calls out NHL officials over their treatment of McDavid.

Hitchcock is not happy.

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Published 5 years ago
Ken Hitchcock calls out NHL officials over their treatment of McDavid.
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The Edmonton Oilers have witnessed a drastic turn around in their fortunes ever since head coach Ken Hitchcock took over for recently fired head coach Todd McLellan. Although it would likely be unfair to credit Hitchcock entirely for the sudden change in direction, there's also no question that he has had a major influence on the team already and now he's going to bat for the organizations star player.

On Sunday night Hitchcock and his Oilers faced off against the Vancouver Canucks in a battle of two teams trying to fight their way out of the bottom half of the NHL's Pacific division. Unfortunately for the Oilers in spite of a solid first period showing on the road they were unable to walk away with the all important win, eventually falling by a score of 4 - 2. Hitchcock credited Vancouver's veteran defense for what he obviously felt was a very strong 3rd period on their part, but after he was done praising the Canucks he was asked about the officiating in the game. 

It was fairly obvious that Hitchcock was not all that pleased but he refused to criticize the penalty calls in the game in spite of that. What he did do however was make it plain that he felt the league was not doing enough to protect his star player, Oilers captain Connor McDavid.

"The stuff that really bothers me is what's happening with Connor, that really bothers me. We're a league that is supposed to showcase our top players and, you don't want to give them all the freedom but, the tug of war on him was absolutely ridiculous today. That's a little bit discouraging to be honest with you because, I can see the whack and hack going on when he''s got the puck, but to me it is all the stuff behind him that does not allow him to showcase his speed. I feel it's a real disservice to a player like him."

Hitchcock would summarize his statements by saying "He's not allowed to play give and go, it is give and hold."

McDavid generally tends to be a player who does not complain to the officials too much, but the NHL and it's officials may be hearing a lot more from Ken Hitchcock if his frustration on this particular topic continues to build.

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