Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid will not appeal his three-game suspension for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland in the head, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday.
McDavid was given a match penalty late in the Canucks' 3-2 win over Edmonton on Saturday in Vancouver when he slammed his stick into Garland's head.
The penalty came after McDavid and Garland got tangled up and fell to the ice, with the Vancouver winger grabbing McDavid to prevent Edmonton's captain from getting back into the play.
In a video explaining the suspension, the NHL's department of player safety said McDavid retaliated against Garland "aggressively and intentionally, escalating the altercation by raising his stick significantly."
The league said the resulting cross-check to Garland's head had "sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline.""I certainly think three games is a little too much. … I guess we don't overly care about having our best players in the league in the game," Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said Tuesday.
McDavid, 28, has 20 goals and 65 points through 43 games this season. The three-time Hart Trophy winner earned 15 penalty minutes on Saturday after entering the night with only 14 on the season.
It's the second career suspension for McDavid. He received a two-game ban in February 2019 for an illegal check to the head of New York Islanders defenceman Nick Leddy.
Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers was also suspended three games for cross-checking Edmonton defenceman Evan Bouchard in the head.
The match penalties were part of a chaotic melee at the end of the game that saw every other skater on the ice receive a minor penalty for roughing.
McDavid will be eligible to return when the Oilers host Seattle on Jan. 27. He'll miss home games Tuesday against the Washington Capitals, Thursday against Vancouver and Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. Myers will be out until the Canucks visit St. Louis the same day.
"It's a game, you know. It's a passion, obviously. I don't think [McDavid] meant to do that," Capitals star Alex Ovechkin told reporters when asked about McDavid missing Tuesday's game. "But sucks for him, good for us. He's not playing tonight, we'll take it."
McDavid will forfeit $195,312.51 US under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the NHL Players' Association. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
Myers will forfeit $46,875.