Radko Gudas Under Heat from Fans After Hit Leaves Auston Matthews Injured: “Get Him out of the League”

Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas was ejected from the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after his knee-to-knee collision left Auston Matthews injured.

Radko Gudas Under Heat from Fans After Hit Leaves Auston Matthews Injured: “Get Him out of the League”

Radko Gudas and Auston Matthews (Image via NHL/X/@TSN)

Radko Gudas is once again facing the heat from hockey fans. On Thursday, during the Anaheim Ducks-Toronto Maple Leafs game, the Czech star hit Auston Matthews, leaving him injured.

The Maple Leafs entered this encounter on an 8-game losing run. The Canadian side had not won a single match since the Winter Olympics break.

Meanwhile, their captain, Auston Matthews, was on a season-long 12-game goal drought. His dip in form this year had a major effect on the team.

The Maple Leafs, who finished on top of the Atlantic Division last season, were at the bottom of the standings going into this game. They needed a massive result in their favor.

The incident between Matthews and Gudas took place in the second period. With the Maple Leafs leading 3-2 with less than 5 minutes remaining, the Ducks captain would go heavy on the opposition leader in front of the goal.

The 35-year-old would deliver a knee-on-knee hit. Matthews would remain down on the ice for a while and clutch his left knee in the process.

While Matthews would get up on his feet and head to the dressing room, Gudas was slapped with a 5-minute major penalty. He was also ejected from the game for this hit.

During the Winter Olympics, Gudas received severe backlash from fans following his hit on Sidney Crosby. In the quarterfinal clash between Czechia and Canada, the defenseman would collide with the Canadian captain and left him injured.

While Canada eventually won the game 3-2 in overtime, they would not have Crosby for the semi-final and the gold medal game. In the absence of their leader, Canada ended up losing the gold medal game against the USA in overtime.

Social media calls for suspension of Radko Gudas following his hit on Auston Matthews

Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas found himself in hot water again on Thursday following his hit on Auston Matthews. After their collision left the American international injured, fans on social media would call for the suspension of Gudas.

Radko Gudas and Auston Matthews
Radko Gudas and Auston Matthews (Image via ESPN/Imago)

Many users on X slammed the Ducks star for him. One wrote, “Get him out of the league,” while calling his hit “disgusting.”

Check out that and some other reactions from X below:

Another thing that surprised the fans was why no Toronto Maple Leafs player jumped in the defense of Matthews after the hit from Gudas. In the post-game interview, coach Craig Berube would slam him and call it a “dirty play.”

Speaking of this game, the Maple Leafs ended up winning 6-4 and snap the barren 8-game losing run. With the win, their record is now 28-27-11 for the season.

Radko Gudas has received some huge suspensions before

Radko Gudas is no stranger to controversy. In his NHL career, the defenseman had previously been handed long suspensions for some dangerous hits on opponents.

Radko Gudas
Radko Gudas (Image via Yardbarker)

According to reports, he has been suspended 4 times in his NHL career. His first suspension came in 2015, when he delivered a headshot to Mika Zibanejad. He was given a three-game suspension for this.

Another headshot in 2016 saw him being suspended again. This time, he would hit Boston Bruins’ forward Austin Czarnik in a pre-season exhibition game. For this, he was slapped with a 6-game suspension.

His biggest penalty came in 2017 when he slashed the neck of Mathieu Perreault while the ex-Winnipeg Jets star was in a prone position on the ice. He would receive a 10-game suspension without pay for this action.

Two years later, he was suspended for a fourth time. This time, he would be given a 2-game ban for high-sticking Nikita Kucherov.

Given the impact of his hit on Matthews, the Ducks star could face some trouble once again. Only time will tell whether the NHL Department of Player Safety will get involved in this matter.

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