Here's the actual quotes from Brouwer:
Quote:
“It’s an unfortunate circumstance,” said Brouwer, who has made a living out of administering the same sort of abuse to every star player he’s ever faced.
“I know in my game I give a lot of top players good whacks and stuff. You obviously don’t want to let it be happening to your team, but star players are going to be keyed on. It’s no different than what we do (to the opposition).”
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Same sentiment from Gultuzan:
Quote:
“We’re not new to the game – we’ve seen this for years,” said Gulutzan, who accepts it as part of the game.
“We’ve had conversations about other stars around the league and no one wants to lose a player like that. But these things happen. Everybody has to go through this stuff. It’s just the way it is.”
“I don’t know if greater team toughness could prevent a whack – I don’t agree with that,” said Gulutzan.
“You can only do so such. When guys are swinging sticks on power plays and penalty kills – and they’re not vicious swings – they’re slashes.”
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