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Canucks livid over Marchand “cheap shot”

Marchand

While they were pleased about exorcising their TD Garden demons yesterday, the win couldn’t overshadow how irate the Vancouver Canucks were with Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Veteran defenseman Sami Salo reportedly suffered a concussion late in the second period after being low-bridged by Marchand, a move that earned the B’s agitator a five-minute clipping major and game misconduct.

After the game, Vancouver players and management wasted no time sharing their thoughts on the incident.

“A dirty play by a dirty player.” -- GM Mike Gillis

“It’s very, very cheap. I can’t think of a cheaper hit you can do on the ice. That and a slew-foot kind of go hand in hand. Twenty seconds before that, [Marchand] and Sami have a pretty good collision in the exact same spot. Sami probably gets the better of him. Then second time, Marchand comes back and loses his will and goes down low. A cheap shot from him, and I hope he gets a phone call from the league.” -- defenseman Kevin Bieksa.

Several media types expressed their thoughts on the Marchand hit, including Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe:

[Marchand] got everything he deserved when he was tossed, and he is probably headed for yet another hearing with Brendan Shanahan, the league’s director of discipline.

Marchand last month was fined $2,500 for slew-footing Pittsburgh’s Matt Niskanen, but escaped a suspension. The clip on Salo now makes Marchand a frequent offender, and Shanahan has shown an intolerance this season for players who come back for second helpings of his mercy.

“You want to know the best case for keeping fighting in the game?’’ said one pro scout as the day drew to a close. “It’s because of dirty plays like that by Marchand. Take the fighting out, and that kind of stuff will go on all day long.’’

Should also be noted the Vancouver Province’s Ben Kuzma is reporting Marchand will face a disciplinary hearing for the hit, though that’s yet to be confirmed by the NHL.