Josh Manson didn’t hold back on Monday night. The Colorado Avalanche defenseman took responsibility for what happened, dismissed the worst part, and acknowledged the rest with a serious tone.
“He hits me, but then he falls on me. I didn’t really like that,” Manson told reporters after the game. That explains the butt end.
Then Manson continued, “I butt ended him. Was that on purpose? Did I mean to do that? Definitely not.” That’s his official statement.
But then he shared something unforgettable, “Did I want to punch him in the face? Yes, I wanted to punch him in the face. ”
This kind of honesty is unusual in May. Most players avoid direct answers, talk about the next game, and move on. Manson stood at the podium and spoke like someone who knew the clip would be shared everywhere.
The 34-year-old veteran has been tough for Jared Bednar all year. In the regular season, he scored 5 goals, got 26 assists, and had a plus-42 over 79 games.
Being honest won’t help Manson with the NHL’s Player Safety department. They don’t reward athletes for being open in the locker room.
The double minor penalty was given on the ice because of Rule 58.5. The league looks at these videos overnight, and Manson’s own comments now go along with the footage.
Michael McCarron took the hit. The Minnesota Wild forward has 4 points and a plus-2 in 9 playoff games while taking up 900 thousand in salary cap space. He’s not someone anyone tries to hit on purpose.
Amid all this, the series changed. Minnesota won Monday’s game, and now the second-round series is tied at 2-2 as they head back to Denver.
The Avalanche finished the regular season with the best record, scoring 121 points. They need to win Game 5 at home, even though their experienced defense player might be watching the game from the press box.
This is not the situation Bednar wanted. Colorado has a strong defensive lineup, but losing a key defenseman in the middle of the playoffs changes everything.
The decision about the hearing will come today or tomorrow. The Wild already have gathered their proof, which includes quotes from Manson himself.
Hockey players don’t usually manage to get longer suspensions by what they say. Manson might have done that. It was good to hear him be honest, but the timing was not great.
Game 5 is set for Wednesday. The seat next to Bednar on the bench could be tense.
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