Canadiens’ Emelin ejected after elbow to the head of Steve Downie (Video)
Above is a photo of Scott Hartnell talking to Alexei Emelin of the Montreal Canadiens immediately following a hit to the head of Flyers' forward Steve Downie. He appears to be suggesting something is tiny. Probably the difference between a clean hit and a dirty hit in today's fast-moving NHL. Probably.
Emelin was given a five-minute major for elbowing and tossed from Thursday night's game after a nasty hit along the near boards.
I'm sure some Montreal fans will accuse Downie of embellishment on this play, especially with that delayed reaction, but it looks to me like the hit really just stunned him. It's concerning, especially since he's already missed four games this season with a concussion suffered on a blow to the head.
But that one was from a punch, which the league casually condones. This time, it's an elbow, so Emelin should probably be somewhat concerned for himself as well. He may miss some time.
It looks to me like he threw a bit of a chicken-wing, and if he did, he's in some trouble. Any time the camera catches you going the extra mile to get the head, you can expect a call from the Department.
Working in his favour: while Downie left the game, he did return for the third.
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