Ice hockey is an unpredictable and wildly entertaining sport. Things can spiral on the rink frequently, leading to a frenzy of penalties and suspensions. But this adds to the sport’s enigma. The use of profanities is widespread, but now that NHL players, referees, and others on the rink are often “mic’d up,” enabling the audience to access the raw, behind-the-scenes audio, the declining usage is understandable.
As it happens often, the on-ice madness led to the suspension of a Vancouver Canucks defenseman in January this year. Months later, the veteran spoke up about it in his recent appearance on “The Cam and Strick Podcast.”
What Did Tyler Myers Say About the Cross-Checking Incident?
On January 18, veteran Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers was suspended for three games without pay for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard during a game No. 735 in Vancouver.
Worse than the McDavid crosscheck? Meyers on Bouchard. pic.twitter.com/hW2N1b2UpD
— David Staples (@dstaples) January 19, 2025
Although the Canucks emerged victorious over the Oilers by 3-2, Myers was subject to strict punitive measures. Eventually, Myers missed the rematch against the Oilers and subsequent matches against the Buffalo Sabres and the Washington Capitals.
According to a Sportsnet report from January, Myers stated that he didn’t intend to cross-check Bouchard’s face, but with how things unfolded towards the end of that game, that’s what it looks like in “real time.”
“Things were getting heated there at the end,” he said. “I’m not ignorant to the fact of how it looks in real time, but if you slow it down, I did start lower, and as he started to bring his hands up, it kinda redirected my stick a little higher.”
Months later, at “The Cam and Strick Podcast”, the 35-year-old maintains the narrative.
“I initiated it. No question. I did something on the wall. It was at the end of the game, you know, I gave him a little shot. Nothing bad, Myers said. “You know, normal in a hockey game. But, from there, he just started coasting towards me.”
Myers admitted that Bouchard’s decision to skate towards him was unnerving, and it was then that the Canucks defenseman decided to pull the move that would eventually lead to his suspension.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. So I just, you know, decided to get my hands up a little bit.” According to Myers, what he did on January 18 was an act of defense.
Nonetheless, the veteran Canucks defenseman had to pay a hefty price for cross-checking Bouchard. Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement’s conditions and Myers’ average annual salary, the 35-year-old had to forfeit $46,875. The amount went to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
In the same game, Oilers standout Connor McDavid was suspended for three games without any pay for cross-checking Canucks forward Conor Garland.
