“It’s a tough situation, for sure, especially in a playoff game with this magnitude. He handled it well, I thought, and listen, we got the win,” Craig Berube addressed the media on how Joseph Woll helped the Toronto Maple Leafs manage a win despite Anthony Stolarz’s scary injury. After Sam Bennett’s stray arm clipped Stolarz right in the head, leading to an undisclosed injury that sent him to the hospital, Bennett was contrite. But the thing about Sam Bennett is this isn’t his first time being in the middle of such an incident. And this time, the Maple Leafs want more protection.
But let’s back up a little. Back to 2023 in what would prove to be the first of a hat trick of head injuries inflicted by Bennett. It was against the Maple Leafs, in the first ever postseason clash between the two teams, when Bennett crunched then-rookie Matthew Knies into the boards, giving him a concussion. A year later, Bennett took his now teammate Brad Marchand out with a punch that kept him away for 3 games.
Known for his borderline hits, one could say this is simply a part of Bennett’s game. But landing suspect hits to the head in his last 3 postseason appearances has certainly not garnered his reputation any favors. And with hit No. 3, one Leafs player is hoping the league will finally take notice. Fittingly, it was Matthew Knies who made the plea. “Hopefully the league will handle it and protect our players,” he said, as per NHL insider Chris Johnston.
Matthew Knies on the Bennett forearm to Stolarz: “Hopefully the league will handle it and protect our players.”
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 6, 2025
Sam Bennett opens up about what exactly led to his hit on Anthony Stolarz
With Sam Bennett earning himself a reputation for questionable hits, the question of intention naturally came up. Did he do it on purpose? Well, amidst all the strong opinions on the hit fighting for space, Bennett revealed his point of what happened with Anthony Stolarz.
“Stollie is a good friend of mine. I reached out to him. He responded. Obviously never want to see an injury like that,” Bennett said. “From my point of view, I’m just taking the puck to the net. I didn’t even know we made contact until after. I’m on the power play, I’m trying to score. I’m taking the puck to the net. That’s really all there was to it,” he explained. Perhaps the reason why the refs didn’t make any call and no penalty was given.
His coach, Paul Maurice echoed his thoughts. “Most of this for me is tempered by the fact that Stolie is one of our guys,” he said. “We love that guy. If I had thought that Sam had crossed the line or an edge, I’d probably be more careful with my words. I just didn’t think it happened.”
Now, with many asking the league to step in and take action regarding aggressive play, what do you think could have been the ideal solution to this? Let us know!
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