Cale Makar explains why he refused the penalty on Monday night: Mathew Barzal and Avalanche head coach react

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MarcO
December 20, 2022 (4:52 PM)

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On Monday night, the more-than-excellent defenseman Cale Makar made a sportsmanship move that is rarely seen in professional sports. After falling down as Mathew Barzal was chasing him, the star defenseman immediately signaled to the referee not to assess a penalty on his opponent.

Of course, after the game, there was some discussion about this strange move. The defender said he did ask the referee not to give Barzal a penalty.

"Cale Makar confirms he told the referee it wasn't a penalty. He says he felt guilty for doing it, but he also would have felt guilty for letting it go."

"He says he apologized to his teammates and ''I don't plan on doing that ever again.''

His apology seems to have been accepted by all as Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar didn't make a big deal about the situation, even saying he had no problem with what his defenseman did.

"He wants to win fairly." - Jared Bednar

For their part, the Islanders players were very appreciative of the gesture, the opposite would certainly have surprised..."

"Obviously, good sportsmanship on his part. I don't know if I would have done the same thing, to be honest with you." - Mathew Barzal

For those worried about the Avalanche's fate in this game, they ended up winning the game 1-0 in a shootout. One more power play would have certainly helped them not get to that point...