Cale Hunter?

The image to the left is the moment where Cale Makar's 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs may have ended. In tonight's game just before the midway point of the first period, Seattle was killing a penalty. Jared McCann, Seattle's 40-goal scorer this season, was on the ice, and he had a chance to breakaway. Makar gave chase, McCann's shot went high and over the glass, and then the moment to the left happened. It's one thing to finish a check during a play, but the referenced play was over from both players' perspective and, as you likely know, throwing hits long after the play is over is an unwritten rule in hockey, and the result will like be that Makar misses at least a few games, if not a large chunk, of this year's playoffs and/or a portion of next season.

Let me go on record and say that I've never seen Cale Makar play dirty, but I also don't get to see a ton of Colorado Avalanche games. Maybe he has a bit of a mean streak in him that bubbles to the surface occasionally, but I can't say that I remember seeing a time where he did something egregiously dirty. Hacks and whacks will happen, but throwing a late hit? That seems very un-Makar-like.

Let's watch this sequence as it happened in real-time.

It doesn't look like Makar had any intention of ever playing the puck regardless of where it landed as he pushed McCann immediately after the shot before pasting him into the boards seconds later. There wasn't a whistle during the sequence, so one might be inclined to give Makar the benefit of the doubt, but every other player on the ice, including McCann, had slowed up in seeing the puck go up and over the glass into the netting. Makar, instead, angles McCann to the boards for a hit that is clearly interference - the puck is nowhere near the hit - and definitely late with the possibility of leaving McCann injured and missing time in this series.

I jokingly titled this article to reference the Dale Hunter hit that Hunter threw on an unsuspecting Pierre Turgeon after he scored, but the only difference is that Turgeon scored on the play. There was no whistle after Turgeon dented twine, and Hunter clearly knew the play was over. I'm not saying Makar will get a 21-game suspension like Hunter did, but it seems very obvious that there has been a heavy precedent set for late hits on unsuspecting players.

What I do know is that the two-minute minor penalty assessed to Makar won't suffice in the eyes of the Kraken, and the Avalanche will do everything in their power to profess innocence for Makar on the play. Where this will land is likely with a suspension, but the length will probably only be a game. Seattle fans will want more, but the Department of Player Safety is anything by consistent.

I'm not here to disparage Makar's game in any way, but this kind of hit can't be tolerated. It's late, it's totally unnecessary, and it may have taken one of Seattle's best players out of the series. If this gets a one-game suspension, that's understandable, but I'm hoping it's three games just to send a message that throwing a hit on an unsuspecting player won't be taken lightly.

It's on you now, Department of Player Safety.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!