For all of the ways The Mighty Ducks stretches or snubs the truth, the egregiously lenient minor penalty resulting from the McGill-Adam Banks incident has seen its share of real-life equivalents. From the NHL downward, every hockey league has baffled its viewers when one player lies out cold from a malicious or reckless hit while the perpetrator faces minimal or no consequences.
Matt Cooke’s hit on Marc Savard in 2010 comes readily to mind. At least in the movie, the player known only by his surname (played by Michael Ooms) went to the sin bin for two minutes, even though he should have been ejected and had a teammate serve a five-minute sentence. Cooke effectively ended Savard’s NHL career with a late elbow to the head, yet received no penalty in the game or supplemental discipline afterward.
Two years later, in the first season of the Brendan Shanahan-led office of player safety, the sport’s signature circuit took at least one encouraging stride. While the on-ice officials did nothing when Raffi Torres concussed Marian Hossa, Shanahan subsequently barred him for the balance of Phoenix’s 2012 playoff run.
Upon assuming his position at the start of that season, Shanahan started going above and beyond with meticulous videos explaining every suspension. At four minutes and 22 seconds, the Torres-Hossa video was easily the season’s longest. And the practice has continued with Shanahan’s successors in his position.
Disney characteristically waved its poetic wand by having the Ducks start their comeback in the Minnesota state final by avenging Banks’ season-ending injury on the scoreboard. It did so again by having Banks make a full recovery in time for the sequel (and bounce back from a wrist ailment in that film).
Nonetheless, many Mighty Ducks fans, deep down, must have a sliver of outstanding thirst for justice on McGill’s end. It would not have been enough even if Hawks coach Jack Reilly followed through on his threat that “nobody makes the team next year” for losing the title game. The league needed to crack down on the injurious action that Reilly clearly condoned.
On that note, we have drafted a hypothetical transcript of how Minnesota’s peewee hockey player-safety director might have addressed the McGill-Banks play, had such an office existed in the movie’s time and universe.
Saturday night, an incident took place during the second period of the Minnesota state peewee championship game between the District 5 Ducks and the District 6 Hawks.
As the video shows, Hawks forward Michael McGill trails Ducks forward Adam Banks as Banks carries the puck to the Hawks net. McGill proceeds to deliver a two-handed check to the back of Banks, who falls on contact and slides headfirst into the goalpost. This is cross-checking, and hitting from behind.
Banks sustained a concussion on this play, and was hospitalized afterward.
While we have accounted for Banks’ speed on the play, and its resultant effect on the impact of the collision, McGill is not absolved from his actions. When an opponent’s name and numbers are facing a player, that player is obligated to refrain from making contact. McGill does the exact opposite, following through with intent to create a collision with the net.
We have also taken into account that Banks, a former member of the Hawks, was the target of numerous hits during the first period of Saturday’s game. These actions came after Banks transferred at midseason when it was discovered that the league’s offseason realignment meant he was supposed to switch from District 6 to District 5. The belated personnel move was protested and unsuccessfully appealed by the District 6 program.
In addition, other video shows McGill speaking with Hawks coach Jack Reilly upon entering the penalty box after the hit. The body language in the video, along with prior events in the game and the testimony we received from other members of the District 6 program, confirm that this was a premeditated act sanctioned by the coach.
To summarize: This was an illegal cross-check from behind; Banks suffered an injury, and did not return to the game; McGill has no prior history of supplemental discipline; other members of the Hawks admitted to targeting Banks.
The Department of Player Safety has decided to suspend Michael McGill and Jack Reilly for five games, effective at the start of next season.
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