The moment Nathan MacKinnon was sent off the ice quickly became the story of the night as the Colorado Avalanche fell 4-3 to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. What looked like a routine net drive suddenly turned into one of the most debated calls of the NHL week. MacKinnon collided with Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram, drawing a five minute major and a game misconduct that left Colorado without its most dangerous forward for the final stretch.
Within hours, the play had spread across the league’s conversation. Even Wayne Gretzky weighed in, questioning whether the punishment matched the circumstances. The legendary scorer saw a familiar hockey instinct in the play. Attack the crease, chase the puck, and accept the chaos that often follows near the net.
That instinct, he suggested, may have been misunderstood in this case.
Nathan MacKinnon ejection sparks debate about crease collisions
The sequence unfolded quickly. MacKinnon drove toward the net searching for a rebound chance. As he moved through the slot, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse made contact from behind. The shove redirected MacKinnon’s momentum straight toward Ingram. The Avalanche star slid into the goaltender, who fell awkwardly and later entered concussion protocol.
Officials assessed MacKinnon a five minute major and a game misconduct. The call removed him from the game after only 14:17 of ice time, leaving him with one shot on goal and 15 penalty minutes. The Oilers seized the momentum shift and held on for the narrow victory.
For Gretzky, the play raised a bigger question about how the league balances safety with the aggressive style it encourages from elite scorers. He explained, “It’s such a fine line, because we’re taught by the coaches at young age ‘go to the net’ and lot of kid who get criticized, people say well he doesn’t go to the net, he’s timid, he’s kinda scared to get in that tough area.”
Players like Connor McDavid and MacKinnon thrive by attacking that dangerous space. Gretzky believes the Avalanche star was simply doing what top forwards are trained to do. In his view, the circumstances around the contact mattered. He added that MacKinnon “got hit by the defenseman, there is nothing he could really do there, it should have been penalty, but 5 minute penalty for just going to the net and get hit into the goaltender, it seems little unfair.”
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar reached a similar conclusion after studying the replay. He focused on the moment Nurse made contact and how it altered the play.
Bednar said, “First thing I looked at the overhead. He makes the play on the puck, and I got his toes cutting up ice probably through the top of the paint and Ingram’s on the goal line. I don’t think there’s a chance, no chance, that he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him. He’s not hitting the goalie.”
Now the focus turns to the league office. The NHL could still review the collision, though no suspension has been announced. If that holds, MacKinnon may be available when Colorado faces the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.
For a play that lasted only seconds, the debate around it may linger much longer.
