Gary Bettman Targets and Fines Rookie Joshua Roy Thousands After His First NHL Game
As my excellent colleague David St-Jean points out, it really didn't take long before young Montreal Canadiens forward Joshua Roy had to be penalized by Gary Bettman and the NHL.
A Bettman Rule That's Causing a Lot of Reaction
As you obviously know, last night at the Bell Centre against the Edmonton Oilers, Roy was playing his very first NHL game.
He finished the game with the following stats: no points, three blocked shots, and no shots on goal, in just over 13 minutes of playtime.
In short, before the game and as per tradition, Roy had his honorary lap during the warm-up, his "rookie lap", and he did it without his protective helmet, like several others including a certain Connor Bedard.
So, like his friend Bedard, Joshua Roy will apparently receive today a ridiculous call from the NHL's player safety department to impose (already) a fine.
The rule is as follows: new NHL players must wear a helmet during the warm-up period, no exceptions. (and under penalty of fine)
Gary Bettman and the NHL will therefore send a hefty $2,500 fine to the young Habs forward.
Should there be an exception for rookie laps?
Veterans encourage the youngsters to do it without their helmets, so it practically becomes an automatic $2,500 fine for every rookie who joins the NHL.
It's a bit ridiculous.
| POLL | ||
Should there be an exception for rookie laps? | ||
| Yes | 513 | 84.1 % |
| No | 97 | 15.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
