Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele destroyed Jake Evans of the Montreal Canadiens during a 5-3 loss Wednesday night.
Late in the third period of the game, Evans rounded out from behind Winnipeg’s empty net, and Scheifele sent him airborne with an absolutely insane hit. Evans had to be taken off on a stretcher. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
You can watch the play below.
The NHL’s department for player safety tweeted Thursday morning that Scheifele will now have to have a hearing for the hit, which the league views as charging.
That means a possible punishment is on the table.
Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele will have a hearing today for Charging Montreal’s Jake Evans.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) June 3, 2021
Was the hit charging? I’m guessing that by the letter of the law, it was probably more likely than not that it was charging.
However, Scheifele also appeared to not leave his feet. That’s a positive for him during the hearing. He can argue he didn’t intend anything malicious or extra hard.
Moment of impact on the Scheifele hit last night. Feet on the ice, shoulder to chest.
Clean hit. #NHLJets #WPGvsMTL #WPGWhiteOut pic.twitter.com/PgKV045vCQ
— Trevor Norris (@TNorrisYZF) June 3, 2021
Still, it’s one of the most brutal hits I’ve seen in a very long time in the NHL, and the fact Evans left on a stretcher is proof of that fact.
Hopefully, he’s able to bounce back better than ever.
Again, worth noting the admirable thought of Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, in the heat of the moment w/ his team was about to lose, to wall off other players so that Jake Evans would be untouched.
Who knows what could’ve happened to Jake Evans if Ehlers hadn’t done that. pic.twitter.com/gqBdroh1bf
— Salim Nadim Valji (@salimvalji) June 3, 2021