Ottawa 67′s Dalton Smith says Bulls’ Zharkov ‘embarrassing’ after head-check ejection

The question didn't have to be asked since it answered itself: if Dalton Smith doesn't deliver checks such as the one on Daniil Zharkov which got him ejected on Friday, would he have a NHL contract?

The Ottawa 67's resident rugged winger trended on Twitter Friday after he was tossed for a check-to-the-head major and game misconduct during his team's nationally televised OHL playoff win over the Belleville Bulls. With 5:53 left in the first period, Smith crumpled the Bulls' Zharkov after the two collided near the right-wing corner of the Ottawa zone. Down went Zharkov and — once Smith and Bulls captain Luke Judson's ensuing fight ended up went a five-minute penalty to Smith on the scoreboard. And across the country, junior hockey diehards were up in arms about the call and the prospect of a suspensions.

"[Zharkov] was looking for the call, and as soon as it was made he got right back up like nothing happened," Smith, who said he never made contact with the 18-year-old Zharkov's head, said after Ottawa's 5-2 win that gave it a 3-2 series lead. "I watched his head come up right before I hit him [shoulder-to-shoulder]. We've seen it all season from him, going down and then as soon as they [Belleville] get the power play, he's back out there. It's embarrassing.

"I don't want to be out [suspended]," the Columbus Blue Jackets prospect added. "The guys are going to war right now and I want to be part of it.

"I've had my family telling me how clean it was. I've had my agent telling me how clean it was."

Smith is a give-no-quarter type on the ice. He's had two lengthy suspensions in each of the past two seasons, including a 10-gamer last fall for plowing into Bulls star goalie Malcolm Subban in the season opener. However, the evidence should still count for more than a player's reputation.

Split-second reaction

The play had some similarities with the Mike Halmo-Nail Yakupov collision earlier this month that led to the Owen Sound Attack captain receiving a 10-game suspension that ended his junior tenure. (Owen Sound was eliminated by Kitchener on Friday.) Zharkov carried the puck into a high-traffic area just as Smith lined him up. One could almost hear the wind being knocked out of the Bulls forward.

The goal of reducing head shots in junior hockey is admirable, of course. But it's not clear what Smith was expected to do differently in order to spare his opponent the full brunt of body contact.

Zharkov went to the dressing room but was back for the second period. On one of his first shifts after returning, he nearly got caught in the so-called trolley tracks by cutting in from the right wing just inside the 67's blueline after he passed the puck. Ottawa wing Ryan Van Stralen stopped short to avoid contact. Otherwise, there might have been two controversial collisions in the same game.

The 67's are already dealing with one suspension to a veteran cog. Captain Marc Zanetti received a five-game ban for spearing one of the Bulls during the pregame warmup before Game 2 last Friday. Zanetti can return for either Game 7 or the opener in Round 2.

(With files from Aedan Helmer.)

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet (video: Sportsnet).