Canucks HC Rick Tocchet makes his feelings known about Quinn Hughes ejection

Modified Nov 24, 2024 06:27 GMT

Quinn Hughes and the Vancouver Canucks picked up a 4-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, but it came at a cost. That's because Canucks captain Hughes was ejected for a controversial boarding penalty on Senators forward Josh Norris in the first period.

The play occurred when Hughes checked Norris from behind into the boards behind the Vancouver net, leaving him with a cut on his face. Officials reviewed the play before assessing Quinn Hughes a five-minute major penalty for boarding, which carries an automatic ejection.

Canucks coach Rick Tocchet shared his thoughts about the call.

"This guy (Norris) hit his head or something. Honestly, I gotta see it again. I don't think it was a vicious cross check. I don't know if there was a push or something," Tocchet said post-game.

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Norris briefly left the ice after the hit but returned before the end of Ottawa's five-minute power play. After losing Quinn Hughes, Tocchet praised his team's ability to adapt.

"You've gotta make sure your D aren't in the scrums.You don't want to take penalties because there aren't fumes out as it is," Tocchet said.

"I thought we did a nice job most of the night managing the puck. When you only have 5 D, you have to be careful because you might double shift a couple guys, and when they're out there a long time, that's a tough grind. I think we managed the puck well tonight."

The Canucks next face the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night at TD Garden.

Elliotte Friedman's take on Quinn Hughes' ejection after checking Josh Norris

Hockey analyst Elliotte Friedman offered his take on the play that saw Quinn Hughes receive a five-minute major and game misconduct for boarding Josh Norris.

According to Friedman, the on-ice officials felt that the injury sustained by Norris warranted an ejection.

"I didn't think this was deserving of a game misconduct, but on-ice officials were adamant this was a major because Norris was cut on face. ... And, as per rule 41.5, a boarding major resulting "in an injury to the face or head of an opponent" means an automatic game misconduct," Friedman tweeted.

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While Friedman acknowledged that many didn't think the play deserved a misconduct, let alone a major penalty, he explained the officials' rationale. The cut to Norris' face apparently convinced them that the hit met the criteria for the rarely invoked automatic ejection.