Hall of Famer & Former NHL DoPS Employee Chris Pronger Exposes the Truth on Controversial Bennett/Stolarz Hit

Had a penalty been called on the play, then the call in itself might have muffled much of the criticism and calls for further discipline.

No further discipline on Bennett made the situation even worse

But since that wasn't made, the league is now open to scrutiny and pressure to retaliate in retrospect, which they didn't do, further adding fuel to the fire.

This is not just about one play; it's how the league is addressing dangerous contact with goalies, something never addressed through suspension.

In fact, the last postseason suspension for goaltender contact was over a decade prior when Andrew Shaw hit Mike Smith in 2012, which was revealed by Pronger.

Bennett skates on the edge of the line so well that, in itself, is an asset as a teammate. But this particular play, a blow to the back of a goalie's head, crossed the line according to Pronger.

Whether or not it was inadvertent is irrelevant; the effect was brutal. Stolarz had already been hit in the head once in the game with a hard shot, perhaps adding insult to the injury of the hit.

This incident raises difficult questions for the Department of Player Safety. How should intent, injury history, and the unique vulnerability of goaltenders be weighed?

Is this the start of a new standard for goalie interference, and if so, how will it be defined? It's a complicated and potentially precedent-setting moment, and one that Pronger believes demands careful consideration.