Lyubushkin accidentally punches referee; suspension incoming?
Oh BABY what a way to start the playoffs. From the opening faceoff the Leafs were in the faces of the Tampa Bay Lightning. It started with a big, and lets be honest, dirty hit from Kyle Clifford and ended with a 5-0 Leafs win and a line brawl. Gotta love that playoff hockey! Unfortunately the Leafs may need to call on their Black Aces early, as there may be supplemental discipline on the way, knowing George Parros and his love affair with the Leafs.
During the third period Wayne Simmonds absolutely rocked Jan Rutta with a squeaky clean hit. Corey Perry and Pat Maroon immediately tried to goad Simmonds into a 2 on 1 fight, but Simmer simply skated away. No need to drop the gloves with those two morons when you're up 5-0. Instead, Perry and Maroon decided to go after the rest of the Leafs on the ice. While Simmonds was being detained by the refs Maroon grabbed an unsuspecting Morgan Rielly and began throwing punches.
Perry got involved in a scrum involving pretty much everyone else on the ice. Things appeared to settle down and the feed cut to a commercial break.
During the break, Simmonds rejoined the fray, grabbing Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman. A line brawl quickly broke out, and amid the chaos Perry landed a hard punch to Ilya Lyubushkin's face while Boosh was being tied up by the referee.
Lyubushkin immediately grabbed Perry, while the refs tried to break them up, and during the melee, Lyubushkin's jersey was pulled over his head. He kept swinging at Perry but unfortunately connected with the referee instead, multiple times. It wasn't shown on TV due to the commercial break, but it was confirmed by several reporters in attendance.
We'll find out what the list of fines and possible suspensions will be once George Parros finishes grooming his moustache, which could take some time. Usually, any time a player hits a referee the NHL comes down extremely hard on them. In this case, Lyubushkin's excuse of not knowing who he was punching may save him. Knowing George Parros though, I wouldn't bet on it.
| POLL | ||
MAI 3 | 402 ANSWERS Lyubushkin accidentally punches referee; suspension incoming? Will there be any fines or suspensions for last night's Leafs/Lightning game? | ||
| Fines and suspensions | 124 | 30.8 % |
| Fines only | 129 | 32.1 % |
| Suspensions only | 57 | 14.2 % |
| Nothing | 92 | 22.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
