We also saw a return to the lineup for veteran forward Wayne Simmonds, and as one might have expected against Boston, Simmonds got himself involved physically. After Bruins forward A.J. Greer scored a goal early in the third period to give Boston a 3-1 lead, Greer lined up at center ice against Simmonds. The two dropped the gloves in a spirited tilt, one in which Simmonds landed a heavy shot early in the fight, and after landing a few more blows, Greer fell to the ice. The fight can be seen below.
The scrap landed each combatant in the penalty box for five minutes. It also sent Greer into concussion protocol, as he took some heavy blows to the head. However, he did return to the game shortly after.
If the name A.J. Greer rings a bell for Leaf fans, it is because he and Simmonds nearly squared off the last time Toronto faced the Bruins on January 14th. At the end of the second period of that game, both players were assessed ten minute misconducts after exchanging words back and forth with one another. After seeing the two square off tonight, perhaps the refs did Greer a favour last game by pre-emptively penalizing the two players.
POLL | ||
FEVRIER 1 | 305 ANSWERS Watch: Simmonds drops the gloves with Greer, lands a heavy haymaker that sends him into concussion protocol Who won this fight between Simmonds and Greer? | ||
Simmonds | 281 | 92.1 % |
Greer | 3 | 1 % |
The fans | 21 | 6.9 % |
List of polls |