Craig Berube's latest comments on the hit that injured Matthew Knies shocks fans

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Tom Banks
November 22, 2024 (4:29 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are dealing with another injury to Matthew Knies after a hit from Zach Whitecloud, and now their Head Coach sticks up for the hit.

This past week has been a whirlwind for the Toronto Maple Leafs, beginning on Saturday night as veteran Ryan Reaves was handed a five-game suspension for a ridiculous hit on Edmonton's Darnell Nurse.

Then, a few days later, the team saw the very same thing happen to them, when Vegas Golden Knights blue liner Zach Whitecloud took out Matthew Knies with a questionable hit of his own.

While most have stuck up for Knies, seeing this as an illegal hit even if the NHL didn't deem it so, one person who has called out Knies himself was Head Coach Craig Berube, who saw nothing wrong with the play from Whitecloud.

«It's a hockey hit. It's been around forever It's a clean hit. It's a tough play. He's in a vulnerable position a little bit. The guy was on him from behind and it's a tough play. It is, but it's hockey. That's part of the game.»

That's quite a surprising comment from Berube, but given that he was an old-school hockey player in his own right, it's safe to say that he would like the 23-year-old to know how to protect himself much better.

As for Knies, Berube doesn't yet have an official update on his situation, but he did have this to say about how the talented young winger is feeling:

«Not bad. I mean, still being evaluated and looked at, but actually feeling OK today, which is good news.»

Ultimately, protecting himself is something that Knies will learn much more of moving forward in the NHL, and while these comments could be seen as troubling from Berube, he simply wants his winger to learn a lesson, which makes plenty of sense in this context.