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Fans call out George Parros for his arrogant and tone-deaf response to the Auston Matthews injury


PUBLICATION
Jack Sutherland
March 17, 2026  (1:01 PM)
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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) during warm ups before the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena.
Photo credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

After the tone-deaf and arrogant response from George Parros to Connor McDavid's comments, fans are calling out the embattled head of the NHL DPS.

After Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid called for an audit of how the NHL Department of Player Safety hands out suspensions, George Parros, who is the head of the department, offered a rather tone-deaf and arrogant response.
We sweat over these decisions and pour over these decisions every night, all season long. We have a process in place that's consistent, and we have a team that works for me, and together with me, that evaluates all these plays. A very experienced team, a veteran team. Guys that have been there since the beginning of the department. Not to mention all the former players that have a large set of experiences playing NHL games, accolades. Some of the best guys that have played the game work for this department help make decisions. So, our process, I feel very confident in. We've got great guys who make these decisions, and I think the players should be confident in this team to do so. - George Parros

This is not sitting well with the fans, who are calling out just how tone deaf he sounded.

Fans Criticized What George Parros Had To Say

One of the main criticisms of the response from Parros is that he said several members of the NHL DPS had been there for years, leading many to say that it's time to shake up the staff there.
One thing is for certain - the NHL DPS has been consistently inconsistent, and there are more unhappy than happy people with how they've performed, especially since George Parros took over.
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MARS 17|194 ANSWERS
Fans call out George Parros for his arrogant and tone-deaf response to the Auston Matthews injury

Does the NHL Department of Player Safety staff need a shakeup?

Yes, new voices are needed18394.3 %
No, the staff is just fine115.7 %
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