Philadelphia Flyers coach Peter Laviolette fined for participation in brawl with Pittsburgh Penguins
In what turned out to be a wrestling match instead a game of hockey during Sunday night’s matchup between Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, the National Hockey League (NHL) decided to fine head coach, Peter Laviolette, for his uncalled for participation
in the brawl that nearly had coaches also close to exchanging fists.
Laviolette, the Flyers head coach, was seen standing on top of the side boards and exchanged harsh words with Pittsburgh Penguins’ assistant coach, Tony Granato. Laviolette was fined $10,000 for his actions while the Penguins assistant was awarded a $2,500
fine.
The Flyers coach was furious after Pittsburgh coach, Dan Bylsma, sent out his checking line late during the matchup in order to make sure that any physical incidents would be properly matched. Laviolette also smashed a hockey stick on the side boards before
being ejected from the game.
“Those guys hadn’t been out there in 12 minutes,” Laviolette said in his postgame press conference. “It’s a gutless move by their coach. It’s gutless.”
A fight erupted between both sides in the final minutes of the contest that had players from both sides exchanging fists, which had the entire arena in a wild roar from the thousands of fans.
Security had to be called in shortly afterwards since the thousands of fans in the audience began to get rowdy against the visiting team.
Pittsburgh Penguins star captain, Sidney Crosby, was also attacked by Flyers’ Brayden Schenn after the games second goal by Steve Sullivan, forcing the team to scream foul but to no use.
"It's pretty cheap," Crosby said. "He skates 10 feet in between the whistle. I don't know. If that's a sign of what's to come it's going to be a pretty tough playoff series."
"It's clearly a cheap shot," Bylsma said. "It's clearly a guy targeting a player that was well after the whistle."
Both teams are headed into the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs quarterfinals up against each other and seeing the way they played normally, there is no telling what the postseason could hold.
Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers will be meeting one more time in the season for their finale on Saturday, April 7.
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