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Franzen pokes fun at Neil playing ‘hero’ after Sens enforcer tried to fight him

Detroit Red Wings v Florida Panthers

SUNRISE, FL - DECEMBER 10: Johan Franzen #93 of the Detroit Red Wings skates with the puck during a NHL game against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on December 10, 2013 in Sunrise, Florida.

Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery

Johan Franzen had a big night on Thursday as his hat trick performance led Detroit to a 6-1 victory, but with the game already decided, Ottawa Senators forward Chris Neil tried to get something going.

Neil seemed intent on picking a fight with Franzen and even removed the Red Wings forward’s helmet. The officials quickly got involved, preventing the incident from potentially escalating further between Neil and a player that returned from a concussion on Wednesday.

You can see what happened here:

Both players ended up receiving misconducts and Neil got roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties thrown on top of that. Afterwards, Franzen was very open about his feelings regarding Neil.

“He usually shows up when the game is over and tries to be the hero,” Franzen said, per the Ottawa Citizen. “Puts his cape on and goes and flies out there.

“He doesn’t like to take heat from fans and coaches, he usually steps up when the game is over and shows he really fights hard.”

Senators coach Paul MacLean shrugged off the incident as just part of the game.

This was a tough loss for the Senators as they missed a critical opportunity to gain ground on Detroit in the race for a playoff spot. Ottawa is now five points shy of the Red Wings and the second Wild Card spot they possess.

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