Flames Tanev responds to McDavid Oilers criticism

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The battle for Alberta already looks fiery enough, despite the 2021-22 regular season yet to begin.

One win wasn’t enough to put Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid in high spirits, as he called out Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev for tripping him over goalie Jacob Markstrom as he was chasing the net.

Chris Tanev, Calgary Flames (Photo by Derek Leung / Getty Images)

Obviously, they have the right to defend their net and defend me when trying to enter it. But when the stick goes a little in the feet like Tanevs did, it’s a dangerous game for me and for the goalkeeper, McDavid explained. I don’t want to fly in there; the keeper doesn’t want me to fly in there. And the guy who stays safe is the defender who has been sloppy with his stick.

I think you would like to see this called a little more.

These comments have been discussed a lot by fans and the media alike, as McDavid is a difficult player to quote most of the time and very rarely speaks to the public.

Tanev gives his side

On Thursday, Tanev was asked about both the incident and McDavid’s comments, and clearly disagreed with what was said.

I’m trying to play the puck, Tanev said, shrugging his shoulders. He’s on partial breakaway and I’m trying to get the puck. It’s obviously unfortunate that he stumbles and gets into the goalie, but anyone who’s watched me play knows I’m a pretty honest player. I take maybe three or four minors a year. I don’t think I’m going to try to hurt people. “There is definitely another level we need to reach before we play in Edmonton next week.” Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin are considering the start of the regular season. https://t.co/P6pousD8me

I’m not trying to take his legs off. I try to play the puck with my stick, and he also tries to jump on me. This is obviously what it is. I’m trying to stop him from getting a breakaway and scoring. As I said, this is obviously unfortunate. I’m not trying to take anyone’s legs off or hurt anyone. I’m trying to stay on the puck, and it’s obviously unfortunate what happened.

Previous incidents involving McDavid

From McDavid’s perspective, you can understand the frustration given he’s been badly injured on similar games in the past. He’s a player known for his incredible speed, and that speed is a big part of why he’s able to display the big stats he does. The first time he was injured in a somewhat similar way was against the Philadelphia Flyers in his rookie season, when he was hammered against the boards by defenseman Brandon Manning.

As illustrated in this clip, McDavid was not happy with Manning’s incident, especially after he was told there was intent to hurt. Fast forward a few seasons later, and the two-time Hart Trophy winner was again seriously injured, this time against the Flames. On this occasion, he suffered a torn PCL left knee after being tripped by Mark Giordano as he crashed into the net and hit the post violently.

This injury ended up being very serious, and many believed at the time that it could impact his future abilities as a player. Fortunately, he was able to make a full recovery and was able to continue to dominate the game.

Defend Tanev

Now, as mentioned, he’s very fortunate that this particular piece hasn’t resulted in something serious. No matter who you’re cheering for, you don’t want to see anyone get hurt, especially when it comes to the best player in the game. That said, there’s no reason to blame Tanev here.

Related: Connor McDavid Calls Chris Tanev After Dangerous Trip [Video]

There are very few, if any, players who can skate with McDavid when he comes down the ice. He scores plenty of scoring goals due to his ability to pass defenders as they aren’t able to pivot and stay with him and often look pretty dumb afterwards. In this particular instance, Tanev was forced to pivot with him and lost his inside position, forcing him to pull out his stick in an attempt to prevent a goal.

As Tanev told the media, he doesn’t intentionally try to trip him up. All he wants is to prevent a goal. He and any other player in the league who finds himself in that position against McDavid just can’t afford to pass and possibly put the puck in the net. They must do whatever they can to prevent a goal.

Should this game have resulted in a penalty? Yes. Regardless of the perspective of some fans, he tripped McDavid, and the result should be a two-minute minor. However, McDavid must also realize that slashing at speeds as fast as he does can have unintended but very serious consequences, as has been the case with him in the past.

Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jeff McIntosh)

In a way, you have to respect the Oilers captain for playing the game as hard as he does and showing no fear. In another, going to the net like he does can sometimes be described as reckless. While this is not what you want, injuries can and will sometimes happen in these types of situations.

Flames and Oilers rivalry ignite

No matter which side you are on in this argument, everyone can agree that this will only escalate the battle for Alberta, which has become much more heated over the past two seasons. While Tanev’s comments may not show it, his body language made it seem like he was quite angered by what McDavid told the media because he thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong in this scenario.

Fans are hoping it can help spark fireworks when the two teams meet in their first game of the season. The game will take place on October 16 at Rogers Place and promises to be very passionate.

Colton Pankiw is a former junior hockey player who now passes his knowledge of the game on through writing. He was a very active and reliable source for almost two years at The Hockey Writers. He is an accredited writer for the Calgary Flames, but also reports on other teams in the league. Other written contributions include: Oil On Whyte, NHLtradetalk.com and Markerzone.com. Colton is also co-host of the Oilers Overtime and Flames Faceoff podcasts. Any request for an interview or information on the content can be made through it on Twitter. Take a look at his work here.

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