Canadiens' Arber Xhekaj In Trouble Again After Dirty, Dangerous Hit On Tim Stutzle
Mere days after jumping Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare from behind, Arber Xhekaj finds himself in trouble over a dirty, dangerous hit on Tim Stutzle.
Xhekaj is called "The Sheriff" for a reason. Fresh off of a fine for punching Cedric Pare with his gloves still on, the Montreal Canadiens defensemen lit up Tim Stutzle with a huge open ice hit. Some would call this dirty or a head shot on the Ottawa Senators star forward. You decide.
Immediately after that hit, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk went straight for Xhekaj and threw some punches before the two ended up on the ice and split up by the refs, but at least Tkachuk took his gloves off first.
It's very ironic and somewhat similar to what happened in Saturday night's preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, only with the roles reversed. Xhekaj makes a dangerous hit that takes out Tim Stutzle, the Senators are incensed and someone goes after him seconds later. Poetry in motion.
Xhekaj was ejected from the game after the hit. One would think he'd know better after all the outrage, complaints and saltiness he, his team and the city of Montreal expressed on Saturday night over the Pare/Laine situation.
Both Tim Stutzle (upper body) and Brady Tkachuk (lower body) left Tuesday's game with injuries. Two more notable players taken out during the preseason to add to an already long list. Call me crazy, but it looks like Xhekaj will be hearing from the Department of Player Safety again very soon. A suspension is well-deserved in this case.
