Radko Gudas attacks Panthers bench after near-fatal water bottle squirt attack (Video)
Radko Gudas of the Tampa Bay Lightning was ejected from Sunday’s 4-3 shootout loss against the Florida Panthers, but his actions were completely justifiable.
Obviously, the measured response to getting sprayed by a water bottle from the opposing bench is to wheel around and slash the top of the boards with your lumber, snapping it in half, right?
Uh … right?
After falling to the ice on an offside call, Gudas was given a 2-minute slashing minor, a 10-minute misconduct and a game misconduct with 7:09 left in the second period. According to Lightning Strikes, it was that merry prankster Scottie Upshall that sprayed him with Gatorade.
Upshall was given a 2-minute minor for being hilarious.
Oh, wait, that should read “unsportsmanlike conduct.”
He told the Miami Herald after the game: 'He overreacted a bit. ... I think he was embarrassed he fell.”
Look, all kidding aside: What the hell is referee Tim Peel (yeah, him again) thinking here?
Does this incident rise to the level of a game misconduct? Granting, it was an intentional slash that could have been injurious. But at the end of the day, it was a player that was provoked having a moment of impulse control. Hit him with a 10, sure; but a gamer? For this?