If you follow hockey, you know that former NHL tough guy George Parros has been in the news lately.
The Head of the NHL Department of Player Safety caused a ruckus when he fined Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson just $5,000 for his antics in a game against the New York Rangers. Many people thought Wilson would be suspended at least for the remainder of the season due to him being a repeat offender. Instead, he only had to fork up a couple of dollars.
Some were also unsurprised considering Parros’ background. He was always a fighter, causing issues back in the day. His Violent Gentleman clothing line’s slogan is also “Make hockey violent again.”
Unhappy with the decision to fine Wilson instead of suspending him, the Rangers called out Parros on Twitter, stating that he’s “unfit” for his job.
To make matters worse, the NHL hit the Rangers with a $250,000 fine for their statement. Since then, multiple players have seen players being suspended for acts that are equal to or less than what Wilson did. It’s the inconsistency in what Parros is doing that’s leading to a lot of hockey fans becoming frustrated. Fans even have a running joke where they say he just spins a wheel to determine how a player will be punished.
With that being said, people are wondering whether or not Parros will still have his job as the head of player safety by the start of next season. If enough teams push back on the job he’s doing, there’s a chance that the NHL could remove him to appease the owners.
Bovada has released odds on whether or not Parros be working the same job when the 2021-22 season begins. Read on to see what the odds say.
NHL Odds: Will George Parros be the Head of Player Safety at the Start of the 2021-22 Season?
Odds via Bovada as of Monday, May 10
- Yes (-400)
- No (+250)
Odds Favor Parros Keeping His Job
At -400 odds, it’s looking like Parros will continue being the head of player safety. Even though he might be doing an inconsistent job, it’s clear that the NHL loves what he’s doing. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have fined the Rangers for their remarks against him in the first place. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman also has the power to step in and suspend a player if he wanted to, which he didn’t end up doing for Wilson.
As mentioned before, it looks like the only way the NHL will get rid of Parros is if enough owners spoke up about the situation. Nobody has more power in the league than the owners. If they’re unhappy about something, Bettman will do what he can to make them happy. If that meant firing Parros, he would likely do it.
Another thing that might get Parros removed would be more bad publicity for the league as a whole. The NHL hasn’t been talked about as much last week as it has been for quite some time. If news stations and websites keep reporting about how the league went back in time by letting players get away with dirty plays, they could lose viewers or even sponsorships. Obviously, that’s a long shot and a lot worse things would have to happen, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
At the end of the day, the Wilson/Parros situation has brought more attention to the league. Now, all that’s left is to see where we go from here.
