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Brendan Lemieux's dirty hit leads to fireworks in Finland

Brendan Lemieux’s latest dirty play against the Florida Panthers will likely result in an NHL suspension. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
Brendan Lemieux’s latest dirty play against the Florida Panthers will likely result in an NHL suspension. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers travelled to Finland this week to wrap up the 2018 NHL Global Series. The main reasons for their two regular season contests on Thursday and Friday, among other things, were to showcase the game’s international stars and generate interest in the NHL worldwide.

However, Brendan Lemieux’s gutless headshot on Florida’s Vincent Trocheck is the exact opposite of what the league wants to advertise to potential fans.

Knotted at two late in the second period, Trocheck slid the puck over to Panthers’ teammate Maxim Mamin in the neutral zone. With the puck off his stick and his head exposed momentarily, Winnipeg’s Lemieux caught him with a drive-by elbow that sent the Florida star to the ice.

As you watch the clip of the play, be sure to look at the replays. This sequence of events was quick and sneaky by Lemieux and may take a few viewings to comprehend.

Thankfully, Trocheck was alright after the collision. Furthermore, seeing his teammate Mackenzie Weeger jump to his defence was also positive. Better yet, Lemieux was assessed a match penalty after the dust settled and may receive supplemental discipline from the league.

But, all of this shouldn’t be necessary. Players like Lemieux and plays like this are exactly what the sport is trying to get rid of.

“I thought it was high, it was to the head,” said Florida’s head coach Bob Boughner during his press conference after the game. “I’m just glad that Troch isn’t hurt.”

That would have only made the situation worse. Trocheck has been growing into an NHL star and is a vital piece of the Panthers’ offence. To have someone like Lemieux take him out of the lineup for any period of time would be awful for both Florida and the NHL.

Entertaining, skilled players like Trocheck put fans in the seats and cause people to tune into games at home. Players like Lemieux do not.

Plain and simple, Lemieux is a goon. The 22-year-old has played in nine games for the Jets this season. During that time, he has no goals, zero points and now has 27 penalty minutes to his name. The impressive thing is he’s been able to collect all of that time in the sin bin while averaging 5:32 of ice time a night.

In his 18 games of NHL experience, he’s scored once, totalled 48 penalty minutes and been in two fights. While with the Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate, he had 19 goals, 43 points and 170 penalty minutes in 51 games last season.

He also piled up the PIMs while playing for the Barrie Colts of the OHL and was suspended on a few occasions for plays like this.

His approach to the sport isn’t that different from that of his famous father, Claude. In 1449 NHL regular season and playoff contests, he amassed 944 points and over 2300 penalty minutes.

He was the ultimate example of a man that was always playing on the edge. And when you play on the edge, sometimes you go over. Although he is a four-time Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe winner, he’s likely most famous for his devastating hit on Kris Draper during the 1996 postseason that left the Detroit forward needing facial reconstructive surgery after sustaining a concussion, broken jaw, broken nose and broken cheekbone.

Brendan has expressed in the past that he has no problem being compared to his father.

“I want to be a young Claude Lemieux,” he said to Michael Traikos of the National Post in 2014. “That’s the style I want to play.”

Based on Paul Maurice’s press conference following Winnipeg’s 4-2 loss on Friday, that style of play isn’t doing Lemieux any favours with his head coach.

“The refs got it right,” said Maurice about the hit after the game.

When asked if it was the turning point in the game, he responded with a cold “yeah”.

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