MONTREAL (CP) — Richard Zednik of the Montreal Canadiens, knocked unconscious by a blow to the face by Boston’s Kyle McLaren, was still in hospital Friday with a concussion and injuries to the nose and right eye.
The Slovak winger was admitted to Montreal General Hospital’s intensive care unit Thursday night after being unconscious on the ice for five minutes following an elbow from McLaren late in the game.
Zednik, still in intensive care as of Friday morning, had a CAT scan of his head, neck and facial bones. The results of those tests were expected later Friday.
Habs Outgunned, Outgooned was the banner headline in the Montreal Gazette while the front page of the Journal de Montreal tabloid read: Therrien Declares WAR. The paper called the game a “vicious and disgraceful match.”
Veteran Montreal Gazette columnist Red Fisher called it “the mother of all cheap shots.”
Zednik was taken off the ice on a stretcher. Fights ensued and an irate Montreal coach Michel Therrien threatened retaliation against the Bruins’ top players in Game 5 on Saturday in Boston.
“If they try to go after our best players, if that’s part of (Boston coach Robbie) Ftorek’s strategy, we have no choice — we’ll go after their’s,” said Therrien, red-faced with anger after the game.
When asked if his threat will only escalate the violence, Therrien said: “I don’t care. This is what they did and this is what we’re going to do.”
On Friday, the Canadiens called in some muscle from their AHL affiliate in Quebec City. Matt O’Dette, a six-foot-five, 221-pound defenceman, had 136 penalty minutes, along with seven goals and an assist, in 48 games with the Citadelles this season. He had been practising with the Habs since Monday.
Ftorek refused comment on the incident, but McLaren said he did nothing wrong.
“I felt I him hit with my shoulder and the back of my arm and that was it,” said McLaren. “It all happened so fast.
“They gave me five (minutes) and a match (penalty) and I’ll live with that. I’ve played seven years and 400 games and never received a suspension. I don’t go out on the ice trying to hurt anybody.”
One Bruins member, who didn’t want to be identified, told the Boston Globe that Zednik became a marked man early in the series for allegedly using a leg to upend several Bruins when the referees weren’t looking.
Zednik scored both Montreal goals on power plays and leads the team in scoring with eight points in four games.
The Bruins’ 5-2 victory Thursday tied the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series 2-2.
Both Therrien and Montreal enforcer Odjick compared McLaren’s hit on Zednik to the elbow thrown by Tie Domi on New Jersey defenceman Scott Niedermayer during last year’s playoffs, which resulted in an eight-game suspension for the Toronto enforcer.
“The precedent has been set — he should be suspended for eight games,” said Odjick. “It’s just like Domi last year.
“I’d like for the league to treat everybody the same. When you try to injure someone with a hit to the head, you’re suspended for the rest of the series. You can’t have different rules for different players.”
Therrien and Ftorek had a shouting match at the benches and the game ended with more fighting in the final minute. A few fans among the jeering capacity crowd of 21,273 threw beer and soda at the Bruins bench.
Zednik looked to have taunted Byron Dafoe after scoring his second goal of the game, perhaps hoping to put the Bruins goaltender off his game.
In Game 3 on Tuesday night, Dafoe allowed three third-period goals in a 5-3 comeback win for Montreal.
The Slovak winger was admitted to Montreal General Hospital’s intensive care unit Thursday night after being unconscious on the ice for five minutes following an elbow from McLaren late in the game.
Zednik, still in intensive care as of Friday morning, had a CAT scan of his head, neck and facial bones. The results of those tests were expected later Friday.
Habs Outgunned, Outgooned was the banner headline in the Montreal Gazette while the front page of the Journal de Montreal tabloid read: Therrien Declares WAR. The paper called the game a “vicious and disgraceful match.”
Veteran Montreal Gazette columnist Red Fisher called it “the mother of all cheap shots.”
Zednik was taken off the ice on a stretcher. Fights ensued and an irate Montreal coach Michel Therrien threatened retaliation against the Bruins’ top players in Game 5 on Saturday in Boston.
“If they try to go after our best players, if that’s part of (Boston coach Robbie) Ftorek’s strategy, we have no choice — we’ll go after their’s,” said Therrien, red-faced with anger after the game.
When asked if his threat will only escalate the violence, Therrien said: “I don’t care. This is what they did and this is what we’re going to do.”
On Friday, the Canadiens called in some muscle from their AHL affiliate in Quebec City. Matt O’Dette, a six-foot-five, 221-pound defenceman, had 136 penalty minutes, along with seven goals and an assist, in 48 games with the Citadelles this season. He had been practising with the Habs since Monday.
Ftorek refused comment on the incident, but McLaren said he did nothing wrong.
“I felt I him hit with my shoulder and the back of my arm and that was it,” said McLaren. “It all happened so fast.
“They gave me five (minutes) and a match (penalty) and I’ll live with that. I’ve played seven years and 400 games and never received a suspension. I don’t go out on the ice trying to hurt anybody.”
One Bruins member, who didn’t want to be identified, told the Boston Globe that Zednik became a marked man early in the series for allegedly using a leg to upend several Bruins when the referees weren’t looking.
Zednik scored both Montreal goals on power plays and leads the team in scoring with eight points in four games.
The Bruins’ 5-2 victory Thursday tied the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series 2-2.
Both Therrien and Montreal enforcer Odjick compared McLaren’s hit on Zednik to the elbow thrown by Tie Domi on New Jersey defenceman Scott Niedermayer during last year’s playoffs, which resulted in an eight-game suspension for the Toronto enforcer.
“The precedent has been set — he should be suspended for eight games,” said Odjick. “It’s just like Domi last year.
“I’d like for the league to treat everybody the same. When you try to injure someone with a hit to the head, you’re suspended for the rest of the series. You can’t have different rules for different players.”
Therrien and Ftorek had a shouting match at the benches and the game ended with more fighting in the final minute. A few fans among the jeering capacity crowd of 21,273 threw beer and soda at the Bruins bench.
Zednik looked to have taunted Byron Dafoe after scoring his second goal of the game, perhaps hoping to put the Bruins goaltender off his game.
In Game 3 on Tuesday night, Dafoe allowed three third-period goals in a 5-3 comeback win for Montreal.
