David Pastrnak Breaks Silence After Being Benched for Entire Third Period
Photo credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
After being benched for an entire period by coach Jim Montgomery, Boston Bruins star forward David Pastrnak spoke to the media on Monday.
David Pastrnak, the Boston Bruins' star forward, was benched by head coach Jim Montgomery for the entire third period on Sunday night, which caused some controversy. It's not everyday you see a player of his calibre being sidelined.
Following the game, head coach Jim Montgomery would clarify that the coaching staff, not Pastrnak or the medical staff, had decided to leave him on the bench, allaying initial fears that he might have been injured during the match. In other words, Montgomery felt compelled to send a message because Pastrnak had done something to offend his coach.
When Pastrnak addressed the media on Monday regarding his benching the previous evening, we discovered exactly what had angered Montgomery. Pastrnak accepted full responsibility for the coach's decision, just as Bruins captain Brad Marchand did earlier in the season. Throughout the game, Pastrnak would signal to reporters that he had committed a poor turnover late in the second, but he would not attempt to challenge his coach's call.
Pastrnak had the option to criticize the benching on Sunday night, but instead he made it clear that he wanted to accept responsibility for his actions, keep his teammates from becoming distracted, and get over the incident as soon as possible.
"That was a bad turnover," said Pastrnak as per Bruins reporter Conor Ryan. "I just want to move forward. I don't want to be any distraction to our team. The guys know how I feel about them here. It's a bad play. I take accountability and already moving forward."
"Got to be better. Take responsibility for being better. At the same time, I'm just moving forward today, focusing for another game tomorrow. Yesterday was yesterday. I never look back. Just came in today, worked on my game today."
"Got to be better. Take responsibility for being better. At the same time, I'm just moving forward today, focusing for another game tomorrow. Yesterday was yesterday. I never look back. Just came in today, worked on my game today."
For those who are interested in the turnover, Yanni Gourde had three excellent opportunities to get the Seattle Kraken back into the game after David Pastrnak made a mistake. Fortunately, goalie Jeremy Swayman was capable of handling the situation.
Seeing someone with David Pastrnak's level of NHL success accept responsibility for errors is admirable. Pastrnak continues to lead the Boston Bruins in scoring with six goals and five assists in 13 games, despite the team's struggles thus far this season. One of Pastrnak's leadership qualities and a major factor in his teammates' admiration for him is his admission that he needs to improve.
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