Accidents happen in hockey all the time, and sometimes players get injured during games. It's what all these players signed up for when they wanted to play the sport. Sometimes, even the nicest players can accidentally cause someone to get hurt, and that's what happened during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Series between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild. Let's break down what happened in the article below.
In the second period, Matt Duchene was at the top of the key and hammered a puck towards the Minnesota net. It unfortunately hit Marcus Foligno in the face and bloodied it. With how fast Duchene can rip the puck at the net and the proximity to Foligno, he got all of the puck and went down hard. Duchene then tried to play the puck, accidentally tripped over Foligno, and that's when the alley cats started to hiss at Duchene when he went to check on Foligno.
After the refs decided to take a look at the penalty to see if there was malicious intent to injure Foligno, it was determined they couldn't find any intent. The penalty was waived off, and the crowd booed the officials for not calling anything on Duchene. I saw a lot of social media posts over the last two days from hockey fans about how dirty a player, Duchene, is, and I have to say, they are completely wrong about Duchene. He is one of the nicest guys that you would ever meet.
Duchene is the type of player that any hockey fan would want on their team. He even went over to ask Foligno if he was okay, and the two players went their separate ways. When Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill puts together his club during the offseason, he will not put a player who is looking to head-hunt opponents. There's a reason why Nill decided to give Duchene a four-year extension last summer after the Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Stars.
Both players buried the hatchet during the third period and finished the game. Unfortunately for the Minnesota Wild, they lost in double overtime after Wyatt Johnston tipped the puck past their goaltender on a re-direction. I was glad to hear yesterday that Foligno knew it wasnt' intentional and it was just heated passion in the middle of a play. If only fans could understand the emotions that flow through hockey players in the playoffs.
The fact that some fans can't see that it was just a simple accident is mind-boggling to me. Duchene is a tough competitor and will do whatever it takes to keep the season going for the Stars. I would say the same thing about Marcus Foligno in this series. He's doing everything in his power to keep the season alive for the Minnesota Wild. The Stanley Cup Playoffs bring out teams' energy and passion, and sometimes someone gets injured. It's part of how hockey is played.
Hockey fans need to cool off ahead of tomorrow afternoon's game between the Stars and the Wild. I would be on Matt Duchene's case if he made an illegal hit or did something to injure someone intentionally. I want to see a nice, clean hockey game every time the Stars play. Sometimes passion gets in the way, and players get accidentally injured, like taking a puck to the face, followed by being trampled over. Let's all move on from Game 3 and what happened between Duchene and Foligno. Game 4 will be just as competitive, and I expect both teams to play passionately.
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