Gabe Smith Crossed the Line

Vegas fans are furious, and honestly, I get why. Gabe Smith sent Trevor Connelly hard into the boards at the rookie showcase, got ejected at 10:33 of the second, then somehow added a second round of punishment in the fight that followed. It was not clean. It was not subtle. It was also the clearest sign yet that Utah’s system is done playing summer hockey. That’s the part I keep coming back to. Steve Potvin called it “big boy hockey,” Dmitri Simashev is wearing the C in San Jose, and the whole vibe around this team feels like guys are sick of hitting their own teammates and ready for something real. Opening night against Calgary is close enough now that even the weird little rookie games are starting to feel spicy. Subscribe for more SLC Puck and listen wherever you get your podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com