No, Mathieu Olivier Shouldn't Be Suspended, But More Importantly The Fans Shouldn't Bail On Him

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier did something completely out of character last night against the Florida Panthers. 

At 13:44 into the second period, he was called for slashing Panthers Uvis Balinskis in the nether regions. You can watch it again below if you need to.

Most fans chalked this up to a moment of frustration for Olivier. The Jackets were being beaten at that point in the game, mostly by Brady Tkachuk, and his frustration boiled over. I honestly think he was just upset with Balinski, who was being a tad too physical with Olivier at that moment. 

Olivier was assessed a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for his actions, and the Panthers would score a goal on the five-minute power play. 

Olivier went on to apologize to his team, saying, "I apologize to my teammates for putting them in that spot, and it's happened a couple of times this year. It's usually not what I do, but it's been happening, so I need to look in the mirror and figure it out. That's all on me."

Many wonder if there will be any supplemental discipline for Olivier. Olivier has played 316 NHL games, has over 500 PIMs, and has a clean record. He's never been suspended or fined by the league, despite his very physical play. 

So no, he shouldn't be fined or suspended, but no one ever knows what NHL Player Safety will do in any situation. He'll probably be fined. 

Some fans have called him dirty and compared him to Marty McSorley, but they're wrong. Olivier is not a dirty player, and even the best players in the league do things that scratch your head sometimes; this was one of them. This isn't the type of player Mathieu Olivier is. 

Columbus fans shouldn't turn their backs on one of the few players who have made them smile and cheer over the last few seasons. Fans have called him selfish for what he did, but fail to remember the 1000's of other plays where he put his team first and defended them.

Most teams would kill to have Mathieu Olivier on their team, so be careful what you wish for.  

Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets are back home on Saturday to play the New York Rangers. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.

Let us know what you think below.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive, and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. Share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.