Hockey fans have ridiculed Mikko Rantanen after his hit against Romanov the other night. Here's why Rantanen is not the dirty player everyone says he is. Hockey is one of the most dangerous sports next to football. You've seen all the tough hits that result in nasty injuries, especially in college football when it comes to targeting. It also happens in hockey with checks up against the boards. All it takes is a player standing up straight, not moving, to be run over by a player going 20 miles an hour. Concussions do happen in hockey and football; it's just the nature of the sport, and it comes with the price of playing the sport for some players.
After Tuesday night's game against the New York Islanders, fans across the league were coming for Mikko Rantanen's head after he collided with Alexander Romanov along the boards. Rantanen was given a major for boarding and ejected from the game. People online were calling for the Islanders to make Rantanen's quality of life worse when the Stars visit the Islanders later in the season.
What kind of sick person would want to see a good hockey player have his quality of life worsened for something that was out of his control? Rantanen said after practice yesterday that he reached out to Romanov, saying that he didn't mean to injure him and hasn't heard back from him yet. That is the kind of sportsmanship that needs to be highlighted across the league.
Rantanen said after practice yesterday that he reached out to Romanov, saying that he didn't mean to injure him and hasn't heard back from him yet.
That is the kind of sportsmanship that needs to be highlighted across the league.
Summary note: The piece defends Rantanen, emphasizes the inherent risk in hockey, and highlights a gesture of sportsmanship after an unfortunate collision.