Never one to back down during his rugged NHL career, George Parros is once again sticking by his guns.
The NHL’s head of the Department of Player Safety re-affirmed his decision to suspend Anaheim Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas five games for a knee-on-knee collision that ended Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews‘ season.
“I feel confident in this decision. We came to it for a good reason,” Parros said in a meeting with reporters at the league’s general manager meetings on Tuesday in Florida.
“We felt this was the appropriate response and so I stand by it.”
The length of Gudas’s ban came under scrutiny due to the player’s history — he had previously been suspended four times in his NHL career, totalling 21 games — and the extent of Matthews’ injury, a Grade 3 MCL tear.
Parros said that while history is considered after the play is deemed worthy of a suspension, he was aware of the injury information before he made the decision to have a phone hearing with Gudas — capping the ban at five games — rather than an in-person hearing.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman previously reported that Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving pushed for a longer suspension.
In the aftermath of the play, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid suggested on Sunday a review of the player-safety process.
“If every time there’s a suspension, everybody complains about it, why don’t we take a look at the process and figure out if there’s a better way to make sure both parties are happy?” he said. “It seems like there’s a lot of frustration there.”
Parros reiterated his confidence in his department’s process Tuesday.
“Some of the best guys that have played the game work for this department help make decisions. So, our process, I feel very confident in. We’ve got great guys who make these decisions, and I think the players should be confident in this team to do so,” Parros said.
Parros, 46, played 474 games in the NHL from 2005 through 2014, compiling 18 goals, 18 assists and 1,092 penalty minutes.
He has served in his current role since September 2017.
