Bruins GM on Bennett vs. Marchand: ‘Not in a Position to Be Criticizing’

Following back-to-back losses in Games 3 and 4 featuring controversial actions by Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett, Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney addressed the situation in front of the media on Monday, May 13.

The Bruins GM told the media they should be asking NHL officials about their controversial calls and said he had no intention of being critical.

“We’re not in a position to be criticizing the officials,” Sweeney told reporters on May 12. “That’s standard protocol. We’ll get fined as a result of that, so there’s no intention on my point to be critical.

“The overall premise that I have is, to be perfectly honest with you, we [media members and reporters] should not be asking the coach after a game what they feel about officiating and what happens. You guys should really be focused on what we didn’t do well enough in the course of the game to win a hockey game.

“Those questions should be directed at either … the supervisors of officials, supervisors of the series, and/or the officials.”

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Bruins’ Don Sweeney Discusses Sam Bennett’s Controversial Goal

Bennet is accused of sucker punching Brad Marchand in Game 3, and he scored a controversial goal in Game 4 after what some say was shoving Charlie Coyle.

When asked about his goal, Bennett said he believes he would have scored whether he’d pushed Coyle or not.

“I’m putting the puck in the net before Swayman’s going to have an opportunity, whether Coyle’s in his grill or not. … So I think that’s why it stood,” Bennett said after the game during an interview on TNT.

Sweeney told media that after it was ruled a legal goal, the Bruins tried but failed to overturn the call on the ice.

“Clearly, we challenged it because of our interpretation,” Sweeney told the media.

“The Department of Player Safety needs to make a statement on how they interpret that situation,” he said. “We’ve seen every angle you can possibly imagine. That’s their job, their responsibility to protect the players. We have to respect that, whatever their judgment is.”

But while he wasn’t willing to further disagree with officials, he suggested members of the media could question officials themselves.

“You want full access or transparency? Then put the officials in front of the microphone to answer the questions,” Sweeney told reporters. “They’re the only ones that have the experience to be able to handle whatever interpretation they applied, Rule 69 in that case, to answer your question. That’s it.”

For context, according to NHL Rule 69.1, “If a defending player has been pushed, shoved, or fouled by an attacking player so as to cause the defending player to come into contact with his own goalkeeper, such contact shall be deemed contact initiated by the attacking player for purposes of this rule, and if necessary a penalty assessed to the attacking player and if a goal is scored it would be disallowed.”

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GM Don Sweeney Provides Brad Marchand Update

Speaking on Sunday after the Game 4 win over the Bruins, Bennett denied that he had tried to hit Marchand.

“Other people can have different opinions. … There’s no way I would have had time to think about punching him in the head,” Bennett told TNT. “Obviously it’s unfortunate he got hit but that’s just a hockey play in my mind.”

Marchand was ruled out for Game 4, but there is a chance the Bruins captain makes a return in either Game 5 or Game 6. That will depend on how his situation and his “upper-body” injury evolve. It will also be critical for Boston to keep winning games to extend the series.

“Brad [Marchand] skated today, he’ll travel with the team [to Florida for Game 5, scheduled for Tuesday, May 14]. He’s still day-to-day,” Sweeney told reporters, per NHL.com. “Hopefully he’ll continue. … The guys have to give him a chance.”

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