Fans slam Jennifer Botterill for heated Hockey Night in Canada comments

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Finnegan Frost
November 5, 2024 (8:47)

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During a recent segment of Hockey Night in Canada, panellists Kevin Bieksa and Jennifer Botterill got into a heated exchange about player safety, and the interaction has now gone viral on social media.

The play that sparked this emotional back and fourth regards Pittsburgh Penguins Noel Acciari's hit on young Montreal Canadiens star, Juraj Slafkovsky. As the pair of skaters were racing for the puck in the corner, Acciari caught Slafkovsky up high with a hit to the head, which is viewed fairly unanimously as a dangerous play.
-Maverick Mitchell, Canucks Daily

Initially, fans were calling for Noel Acciari to be suspended in which looked to be a blatant hit to the head, but it was ultimately decided that NHL Player and Safety will not be reprimanding Acciari for the incident.

Former NHL defenseman Kevin Bieksa took a strong stance after the game defending the play from Xhekaj.

"The game is over... I think right there is the right time for Xhekaj to go at a guy who took out your star player earlier in the game. That for me is the right time to go at a guy. It's an eye for an eye. I don't think he's too apologetic about that, I wouldn't care. I wouldn't care if it's clean or not, you get my guy I'm getting you back at some point."
-Kevin Bieksa

Botterill, who is known to often times be argumentative didn't take too kindly to Bieksa's breakdown of the situation. She took a more passive standpoint, stating that the game of hockey is straying away from the "eye for an eye" ideology. She argues that the game as a collective has changed from Bieksa's perspective.

"Then you get players with potential suspensions or fines and you guys are just fine. Guess what the game is changing and there is other solutions. Maybe it's changing, maybe it can change. It has changed, it doesn't always have to be an eye for an eye.
-Jennifer Botterill

Fans then went on to voice their frustrations on social media, calling out Botterill for her perspective on the situation, stating that "she doesn't get the game". With that in mind, the panel seemed to be in unanimous agreement with Bieksa, but Botterill ultimately stood firm on her position.