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You know it's a bad hit when the coach of the guy who injured the player is saying it was a bad hit.
A day after what he repeatedly called a “tough night,” Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien made no excuses for the deplorable actions of one of his players in an ugly 3-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
What Boston’s Shawn Thornton did to Brooks Orpik — slew footing the Pittsburgh defenceman to the ice, and then delivering two punches to the head, which caused Orpik to leave on a stretcher — was inexcusable, said Julien. Thornton crossed the line he will now have to suffer the consequences.
But Julien, who also watched one of his players suffer a concussion on what he deemed an illegal hit and another player take a knee to the head on a separate play, said the Bruins were not the only team that went afoul of the rules.
Thornton isn't the only guy likely getting in trouble.
It seems Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf could be in some hot water.
According to reports late Sunday, Phaneuf will have a hearing with the league -- likely of the phone variety, but you never know -- over an incident involving Bruins defenceman Kevan Miller during Boston's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.
With 2:17 left, the Bruins' Miller was rammmed face-first against the boards by the Leafs captain. Replays appeared to show that Phaneuf made contact with Miller's right shoulder but it was still head-scratching why he received no hit-from-behind or boarding penalty.
Another OHL GM has traded his son away.
“It was kind of a weird,” admitted Kerby Rychel. “It was like, ‘We traded you, good luck, we got a good haul.’”
Gee, thanks for the early Christmas present, Dad.
And what does Mom think?
“I just got my clothes back in off the porch,” joked Warren Rychel, general manager of the OHL Windsor Spitfires.
Rychel became the second OHL manager — and second former Maple Leaf — to deal his boy this season when he sent 19-year-old Kerby, a Columbus Blue Jackets prospect, off to the Guelph Storm this week.
Weak stomach? Don't look. But a player had his cheek sliced open while on the ice. His younger brother was on the ice with him and you can see the terror on his face.