Brad Marchand avoids NHL discipline for Anton Stralman trip (Video)
Brad Marchand was able to attend NHL All-Star Weekend after receiving only a $10,000 fine for a trip on Niklas Kronwall of the Detroit Red Wings last week. One game back after spending the weekend in Los Angeles and the Boston Bruins forward nearly found himself in hot water again.
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Late in the second period, Marchand tripped Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman in the neutral zone during Boston’s 4-3 win. There was no penalty on the play and Stralman wasn’t hurt.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Marchand will not face any discipline from the NHL as they feel the trip wasn’t intentional.
“I can’t say,” Stralman said afterward about whether it should have been a penalty. “There’s contact and I fall. I can’t say if he did anything or not, but I’m not the puck holder. I’m out in the neutral zone and I get hit from behind. That’s all I got to say.”
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With the Kronwall trip, it was clear Marchand stuck his leg out while skating from behind making it incredibly dangerous. This one, however, appears to just be accidental contact between a forward coming back to the play and a defenseman skating backward.
But with Marchand’s history he’ll never get the benefit of the doubt when from many fans when it comes to plays like this.
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
