Paul Maurice Calls Out the Media's Treatment of Sam Bennett in Firey Comments

Everyone expected the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals matchup between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs to be intense, but Game One on Monday night took it to another level entirely.

The moment that may define this series happened when Sam Bennett elbowed Anthony Stolarz to the back of the head, and since that point, the talk has surrounded the Panthers veteran, who has been a repeat offender in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

However, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice believes the vilification of his star forward is unjustified, stating that there were far worse hits in Game One that should be talked about instead of Bennett's play.

He also points out how the media have gone into Bennett's past to bring up previous hits as to why he should have been punished, once again calling out the media for their role in the situation.

Sure, this play and others involving Bennett have been talked about a lot in the past 24 hours, but when a player gets away with injuring at least three players in the past three years in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, maybe that should play a role in finally getting punished.

Ultimately though, Bennett wasn't punished and the media will continue to talk about the play given the gravity of the situation and the importance of protecting players from head injuries, but since the league decided not to protect the veteran goaltender, expect Toronto to do something about it soon.