New York Rangers Call for Removal of George Parros
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The Rangers have called out the league’s head of player safety for failing to issue proper punishments.
While spontaneous fistfights are a stereotype of ice hockey, the NHL has been trying to cut back on that a bit in recent years. It’s a little difficult to dial back on the punch-ups, however, when the authority figures of the league only hand out wrist slaps for bouts of violence, which has become a sticking point for the New York Rangers.
On Monday night, during the Rangers’ game against the Washington Capitals, Capitals forward Tom Wilson slugged Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich in the back of the head while he was already face-down on the ice. Later in that same game, he also threw Rangers star forward Artemi Panarin down onto the ice, resulting in a season-ending lower-body injury. One would expect severe repercussions for this kind of roughhousing, but Wilson only received two minor penalties and ten minutes in the box, with no plans for a hearing or further penalization.
For this, the Rangers have called out the head of the NHL Department of Player Safety, George Parros, and demanded his removal on the grounds of negligence.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) May 4, 2021
“The New York Rangers are extremely disappointed that Capitals forward Tom Wilson was not suspended for his horrifying act of violence last night at Madison Square Garden. Wilson is a repeat offender with a long history of these type of acts and we find it shocking that the NHL and their Department of Player Safety failed to take the appropriate action and suspend him indefinitely. Wilson’s dangerous and reckless actions caused an injury to Artemi Panarin that will prevent him from playing again this season,” the Rangers said in a statement. “We view this as a dereliction of duty by NHL Head of Player Safety, George Parros, and believe he is unfit to continue in his current role.”
Neither the league nor Parros have publicly commented on the Rangers’ statement as of writing.
