San Jose Sharks Upset With Antoine Roussel
San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan was notably upset after the game against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. And for good reason.
Not only did Antoine Roussel check Alex Stalock illegally in front of the net, but he punched Justin Braun in the face late in the game.
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“What disappoints me is when a guy is vulnerable and being held and he gets punched. That’s the disappointing thing,” McLellan said. “I don’t think anybody in our league, the 750 players and coaches want to see that. It’s just not a classy moment.”
As bad as the punch to Braun was, the hit on Stalock was the worst. Alex had just stopped a puck heading to the net and accidentally knocked it out of play for a delay of game call. Stalock took a few strides out of the trapezoid and was hit by Roussel high on the body, somewhat looking like he was struck right in the face. Stalock remained on the ice for a while, obviously shaken. Once back on his feet, he remained in the game. Thankfully he wasn’t hurt, but a hit like that on a team’s goalie is unacceptable.
“I went to play the puck and get it out of the zone, and I don’t know if he elbowed me or punched me, or what,” Stalock said. “I felt it pretty good up high. He plays hard.”
Marc Edouard-Vlasic immediately went after Roussard and slammed him into the boards in retaliation. A brawl occurred and this is where Braun was hit in the face while being detained by a linesman. It didn’t look like Braun sustained any major injuries from the hit, but McLellan did state after the game that he’d have to check with the trainers to see how he was doing. I’m sure everything is fine though.
Take a look at the replay here: