Former NHL Players Slam Penguins' Noel Acciari for Dangerous Hit on Juraj Slafkovsky
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Noel Acciari of the Pittsburgh Penguins is under fire for a dirty hit he delivered to Juraj Slafkovsky of the Montreal Canadiens last night.
The Canadiens visited Pittsburgh yesterday to play the Penguins, who were led by captain Sidney Crosby. Martin St. Louis and his team were hoping to perform well on the ice tonight after a string of hard defeats, and the Pens prevailed 3-1 with a magical performance by Sidney Crosby.
Noel Acciari, a former Maple Leaf, hit Juraj Slafkovsy's head dangerously with a few minutes remaining in the third period. Slafkovsky never came back to the game after the play, retreating to the locker room.
"In hockey that's a dirty hit. We all know what's happening, two guys are racing for the puck, they are both reaching, and the guy who is supposed to get the puck first just leaves it and hits the guy. That is a bit of a dirty hit."
Luke Gazdic, another former NHL player, was a little more taciturn in his evaluation, but he still thought the hit was dubious.
"It's a reverse hit from Acciari and you'll see he kind of gets his arm/elbow up. I don't like it from that angle."
Arber Xhekaj of the Montreal Canadiens, who has recently been the focus of trade rumors, made another attempt to exact revenge on a teammate he believed had been wronged, sparking a flurry of social media conversation. According to Kevin Bieksa, Xhekaj performed exactly as expected, and the hit had to be avenged whether it was dirty or not.
Verdict on Noel Acciari's hit is revealed, and it appears that he won't be suspended.
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