Larkin suffers growing pains during second Wings season | The Detroit News
After being in contention for Rookie of Year last year, Larkin is hitting a bit of a sophomore slump. He currently has 8 goals and 9 points. This time last year he had 11 goals and 21 points – a noticeable drop.
“I think in terms of this season, right now, it hasn’t gone terrible, by any means. But you look at stats and there’s a bit of a drop off.
“But you know, I think as a team we want to be to a certain spot, and there’s a lot of pressure on myself to get us there.”
A noteworthy change could be his switch from playing the wing to center. Another one is the lack of consistent linemates, although, he may stick around centering Vanek and Nyquist. Whatever it is, it seems like Larkin isn’t dwelling too much on it and his preparation for the game remains the same.
McDavid’s removal sure to spark concussion spotter debate | Sportsnet
On Sunday night, Connor McDavid got tangled up with Minnesota’s Jared Spurgeon and fell on the ice chin-first. McDavid got up, composed himself and continued to play for the rest of the powerplay. Shortly thereafter, a call from the war room in Toronto demanded that McDavid be removed from play. No discussion, no protesting…gone. All thanks to a concussion spotter who felt that the hit warranted removal from the game. Read about concussion spotters here.
“I was pretty shocked, to be honest,” McDavid said after his Oilers dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to Minnesota, McDavid’s second straight pointless game. “I hit my mouth on the ice. You reach up and grab your mouth when you get hit in the mouth; it’s a pretty normal thing. Obviously the spotter thought he knew how I was feeling. He pulled me off.
Was this a move to protect McDavid? Avoid future litigation? Who knows. The reality is that many players in physical sports like hockey are living with debilitating side effects from sustained damage to their bodies and brains.
McDavid said he felt fine – not that players haven’t lied before, BUT, I don’t believe he was lying. Fans and teammates were outraged at losing their best player at a critical point the game. Pat Maroon’s idiotic comments aside about what constitutes a “man’s game”, this move has divided hockey fans and pundits and has highlighted the inconsistency in which this protocol is applied.
