"The play occurred with under 1:31 remaining in regulation. McAvoy was enraged by what he perceived as a purposeful slewfoot into the boards by Benson. So he got up and used his hockey stick like he was chopping firewood with an axe, slashing Benson hard on the arm. Benson, unhurt on the play, laughed at McAvoy from the penalty box as the irate rearguard received a game misconduct and a five-minute major penalty for slashing. Benson was also issued a two-minute minor penalty for tripping."
"After the whistle, McAvoy gets to his feet and pursues Benson to deliver some retribution. He charges towards Benson, who is skating in the other direction, chokes up, raises his stick over his head with both hands, and swings his stick violently at Benson, striking him in the arm. This is slashing."
"All parties agree that this is an intentional and forceful strike delivered to an opponent's body specifically for the purpose of retribution and message sending. In addition, all parties agree that this play occurs outside of gameplay and in a situation where the outcome of both the game and the series has been decided. Therefore, it is important to note that players are not excused from illegal acts just because of a prior foul by an opponent."
Charlie McAvoy was suspended for the first six regular-season games of the 2026-27 campaign. The suspension followed a tomahawk chop that slashed Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson during Game 6 of the first-round playoff series. The incident occurred with under 1:31 remaining in regulation. McAvoy reacted after perceiving a purposeful slewfoot into the boards by Benson. McAvoy received a game misconduct and a five-minute major penalty for slashing, and Benson received a two-minute minor penalty for tripping. The NHL Department of Player Safety determined the strike was intentional, forceful, and delivered for retribution outside of gameplay after the series outcome was decided.
Read at RMNB
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