I wasn’t really sure what to think of the Max Lapierre hit on Dan Boyle Tuesday night at Scottrade Center, other than hoping for the absolute best for Boyle after he was taken from the ice on a stretcher.
On one hand, it was a hit from behind, into the boards. What do you expect to happen?
On the other hand, you could argue that Boyle got tripped up and Lapierre was just finishing his hit.
There were comments after the game about Lapierre chirping from the Blues bench early in the game. Again, how do you put those into context and try to discern a difference between those (alleged) comments and any others during the course of the game?
I do think that Lapierre said the right things while sitting at his locker after practice on Wednesday afternoon, speaking to the handful of media assembled at The Mills.
“It’s a bad situation for me to try to explain,” he said with his head down.
“The guy’s on a stretcher, no one wants to see that, especially not a player like him.”
The support was throughout the locker room for Lapierre, as his teammates spoke up for him following the incident and his pending suspension.
“I don’t think by any means he intended to hurt anybody,” said Jordan Leopold.
“Anytime you see that, you think, what if it was me? He’s thinking the same thing today. I know he doesn’t feel good about it…It’s hockey, there are injuries. Sometimes you’re in vulnerable positions and accidents happen.”
Lapierre, who said he will accept whatever the league hands out to him following his hearing in New York on Friday, says that he takes full responsibility.
“It’s like driving a car,” he said. “You’re responsible behind the wheel.
Lapierre says he unsuccessfully attempted to call Boyle on Wednesday night, and hopes to talk to him soon.
