Quote:
Originally Posted by GioforPM
It was a ridiculous call to begin with. Not really a charge (I've seen lots worse accelerations by Lucic into a hit - he was slowing down and turning). Not interference - Smith had the puck. Could they call roughing? Maybe but only because Smith's lid is so loose (I swear he does that so he can shed it if the going gets tough).
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Smith purposely wears his mask loose so he can shake it off to stop the play when it benefits him. The hit looks worse than it was because Smith was turning around and lost his balance when he got hit and everyone knows that any contact with Mike Smith is going to bring about some theatricals. It was a bit of a lapse by Lucic but he clearly slowed down and the hit itself was clean. The NHL remote officials confirmed the 5 minute major so in their eyes it was a charge. For all we know they just wanted to get him out of the game in the case that all hell broke loose.