3. Verletzung ist nicht mehr ausschlaggebend zur Beurteilung einer Strafe.
In dem Fall schon!
Laut NHL Rulebook muss der Referee zwischen Minor und Major Strafe abwägen.
41.1 Boarding – A boarding penalty shall be imposed on any player who
checks or pushes a defenseless opponent in such a manner that
causes the opponent to hit or impact the boards violently or
dangerously. The severity of the penalty, based upon the impact with
the boards, shall be at the discretion of the Referee.
There is an enormous amount of judgment involved in the
application of this rule by the Referees. The onus is on the player
applying the check to ensure his opponent is not in a defenseless
position and if so, he must avoid or minimize contact. However, in
determining whether such contact could have been avoided, the
circumstances of the check, including whether the opponent put
himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously
with the check or whether the check was unavoidable can be
considered. This balance must be considered by the Referees when
applying this rule.
41.2 Minor Penalty – The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a minor
penalty, based on the degree of violence of the impact with the
boards, to a player guilty of boarding an opponent.
41.3 Major Penalty – The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a major
penalty, based on the degree of violence of the impact with the
boards, to a player guilty of boarding an opponent (see 41.5).
41.5 Game Misconduct Penalty - When a major penalty is imposed under
this rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an
opponent, a game misconduct shall be imposed.
Ich hab die wesentlichen Merkmale mal fett markiert, die den Referee vermutlich zu seiner Einschätzung einer Major Strafe gebracht haben. McDavid unternimmt in der Tat ja überhaupt keinen Versuch, den Kontakt mit Kempe zu vermeiden.
Rule 41.5 sagt dann, dass der Referee bei einer Major mit Verletzung automatisch eine Game Misconduct geben muss.
