bjlockie Leafs had a good chance of winning with Stolarz in net.
That’s why Bennett intentionally hit him.
What about getting hit dead center in the forehead by a puck moving 90mph/145kph? That had nothing to do with it? My problem with your comment is not citing the contact with Bennett as a cause, but ignoring what most likely did most if not all of the damage. I don’t think the contact with Bennett did any damage, but if it did, blame the league and maybe the Leafs. In the NFL, Stolarz would’ve been pulled from the game right after the puck hit him in the head, evaluated, and put on the concussion protocol. I knew the NHL was macho about injuries, but I thought it was just the players and the coaches who were like that. Not the team doctors and the brass. Maybe what happened with Stolarz will spark a policy change. Does the NHL even have a concussion protocol? Obviously not one like the NFL has.
The contact by Bennett wasn’t intentional. He was concentrating on the puck. Maybe he should’ve been more aware of his proximity to Stolarz, but it wasn’t intentional. If the NHL had a proper concussion protocol, we wouldn’t even be talking about the Bennett contact because it would’ve never happened because Stolarz wouldn’t have still been in the game.
But you do have to wonder how the series would’ve played out if Stolarz didn’t get hurt. 2 of the losses were 6-1. Maybe Stolarz would’ve prevented a couple of those goals from going in, but he wouldn’t have changed the outcome of those games. But games 3 and 4 could’ve went differently.
