During the early stages of the first period, Bolts head coach Jon Cooper and Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe each tossed their 4th lines out at approximately the quarter-mark, which, of course, wound up in a scrum with a lot of chirping going back and forth.
Wayne Simmonds and Pat Maroon carried on the discussion from their respective benches, refusing to back down from one another or turn the other cheek. The officials didn't want things to escalate, so, naturally, he issued a pair of 10-minute misconducts to the two participants.
This marks the second time in three games now where Simmonds was issued a 10-minute misconduct without even touching anyone. The first, of course, was against the Winnipeg Jets as he and Adam Lowry were doing a lot of talking late in a game that was already out of reach for the Jets.
Regardless of whether or not Simmonds gets into an actual fight isn't really the most important factor. His ability to get under the skin of the opposition is what makes Simmonds an impactful player for the Leafs. It doesn't hurt that he can back it up though.
POLL | ||
4 AVRIL | 374 ANSWERS Wayne Simmonds and Pat Maroon get 10-minute misconducts at the beginning of the game Have you ever seen 10-minute misconducts issued at the beginning of a game? | ||
Yes | 71 | 19 % |
No | 303 | 81 % |
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