McDavid received a match penalty and was ejected from the game which the Oilers lost 3-2. Canucks' forward Tyler Myers (34) was also suspended for three games for the same reason. Match penalties are given to players who show clear intent to injure another player.
McDavid will be forced to give up $195,312.51 for the incident with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
“I'm just holding him. I mean, he's the best player to ever do it. So, the time's running out. And I just thought that was maybe the best way for us to win a game was to do that," said Garland. "I don't want to hurt him."
“I get crushed in the head, so our team rushes to defend that, right? And that's what good teams do."
Garland and Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl both had a heated exchange after McDavid left the ice as well. But Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch chalked it up to a heated rivalry and tempers flaring.
“Absolutely, there's a rivalry and Connor gets frustrated. He gets his stick up, and he's frustrated because we're down one goal and the best player in the league is getting held for 15 seconds," said Knoblauch. "And there's frustration that's allowed to happen, and the stick got up, and yeah, so that's what happened.”
The Oilers face the Washington Capitals on January 21st followed up by another game against Vancouver on January 23rd then the Buffalo Sabres on January 25th.