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Canadiens' Drouin blames Ekblad after Domi sucker punch

If you look up the definition of “sucker punch” in your search engine, it reads something like this: “An unexpected punch or blow.”

But according to Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin, Aaron Ekblad should have prepared for the unexpected when he was punched in the face by Max Domi during an exhibition game on Wednesday.

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“I saw a pretty big slash from Ekblad on Max, and Max just took matters into his own hands,” the Canadiens centre said after the game. “It’s also Ekblad’s fault for not protecting himself.”

Jonathan Drouin thinks Aaron Ekblad should shoulder some of the blame for what went down during Wednesday’s exhibition match. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Jonathan Drouin thinks Aaron Ekblad should shoulder some of the blame for what went down during Wednesday’s exhibition match. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Well, he was right about one thing. Domi certainly took matters into his own hands. Although the Florida Panthers defenceman had zero intentions of dropping the gloves, the Habs forward continued to hack away at Ekblad until he finally dropped him with a sucker punch.

And really, when you look at how it escalated to that point, a couple of whacks in the shin pads doesn’t really warrant a fight, let alone a blindsided haymaker on the nose.

To blame Ekblad for being sucker punched is like saying you should have studied for a Pop Quiz in high school.

Ekblad’s teammate Roberto Luongo was quick to come to his aid.

“I’m sure the league will look at it and we definitely won’t forget about it,” the Panthers netminder said. “You don’t do that. You respect your opponents and if your opponent doesn’t want to engage in a fight, there’s no reason to drop your glove and punch him square in the face.

“Bit of a gutless play. You don’t do those types of things.”

It’s not the first time Domi has done something like this, although under different circumstances. In 2016, Domi was automatically suspended one game for jumping Ryan Garbutt in the final minutes of Arizona’s match with Anaheim.

Domi had a hearing with NHL Player Safety for his attack on Ekblad Thursday afternoon, and it’s hard to mount up a case against a suspension.

How can you say you are looking out for the best interest of the players and then do nothing when someone not looking for a confrontation gets dropped with an unsuspecting punch?

Sure, fighting is still a part of the game, but that wasn’t a fight. That was one player taking things way to far, in a pre-season game nonetheless.

In case you’re wondering, Montreal and Florida don’t meet up again until Dec. 28. Mark your calendars.

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