Sheldon Keefe breaks his silence on the Radko Gudas hit on David Kampf
During Game 4 on Wednesday, Radko "The Butcher" Gudas laid a very hard, late check on Toronto Maple Leafs forward, David Kampf, in the second period of Game 4 that forced the forward out of the game, presumably to go through concussion protocol. It's another one of those controversial hits in the post-season that could render a suspension but also could be deemed as a clean check by the Department of Player Safety who seemingly roll the dice every time a play deserves a second look. There was definitely some charging involved but no penalty was called against Gudas, despite the fact that the hit took place after the whistle.
Sheldon Keefe, on the other hand, felt very differently about the check and believed that the Florida Panthers defenseman had malicious intent:
"I don't know exactly when the whistle blew but that's a hit on a guy that he knows that the play either has ended or is ending and obviously, to me that's a hit with no intention other than to hurt the player. A lot of violence to the hit but happy David is okay."
Ryan O'Reilly had some words about the hit as well but he kept it short and sweet:
"Just thought it was a little late hit but it is what it is, dangerous play but it is what it is"
Gudas has the reputation of being a hard hitter who treads on the line very often. He has been suspended a few times in his career but he plays hard every shift with the intention to finish his checks, whether it's warranted or not.
The Maple Leafs did a great job dealing with the brunt of the aggression and scrappy play of the Panthers from start to finish and were able to force a Game 5 on home ice to keep the series alive. That game takes place tonight at Scotiabank Arena.
| POLL | ||
12 MAI | 858 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe breaks his silence on the Radko Gudas hit on David Kampf Did you think the hit from Gudas warranted a penalty? | ||
| Definitely | 467 | 54.4 % |
| Nope, just playoff hockey | 56 | 6.5 % |
| Penalty?? He should have been suspended!! | 335 | 39 % |
| List of polls | ||
