Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Tkachuk is a ratty player. I get why opposing fan bases and players don't like him. However it's not like he's Alex Burrows as he's not hair pulling or biting. He laid clean hard hits on the Oilers biggest player which is is the furthest thing from being a coward. I fully agree that it's somewhat cowardly to turtle but it's pretty clear that this was all premeditated by Tkachuk to get under Kassain's skin in a tight game knowing he would snap which would benefit the Flames. I kind of admire that Tkachuk was willing to put himself into a situation he would face ridicule to help get the team two points. You are going to win a lot more games with players like that than selfish players like Kassain that put his team in bad situations because he can't take a clean hit.
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Turtling can be cowardly, but not always. If you do things that warrant the need to answer for your actions (deliberate cheap shot,etc) then you need answer the bell once in a while. That said, delivering a clean shot does not mean you need to fight someone in the wake.
If Lucic went after McDavid for the punch to Tkachuk he gave I wouldn’t expect him to be standing toe to toe.