Pierre Engvall completely lost his head.
Then he was awarded a match penalty – after hitting an opponent in the neck.
Now he is severely punished for the assault.
Pierre Engvall has been one of Toronto’s biggest positive surprises this season. He has been given the trust and been a regular, and has thanked by scoring seven points in 27 games played. The Swede has also received a lot of ice time, and Toronto has been clear that they have a lot of faith in the Swede going forward.
Massive criticism after the assault
At the same time, Toronto has been playing well lately, but last night it hit Pierre Engvall hard, and now the question is whether he will be able to sit in the stands in any match. It was in the match against the LA Kings that Engvall got into an argument with opponent Sean Durzi at the beginning of the third period. Engvall had earlier in the match scored 1-0 for Toronto, but in the situation with Durzi, he did not directly help the team.
The LA Kings were frustrated when they were down 0-4, whereupon Durzi delivered a bunch of shoves to Engvall in the center zone. Durzi then got the stick up to Engvall’s head, and when Engvall pushed it away, he also delivered a blow to the back of Durzi’s neck, who immediately fell to the ice. The referees didn’t have to hesitate very long, and Engvall was sent straight to the dressing room with a match penalty.
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“Deserves suspension”
The Toronto Maple Leafs managed to save their goal during the five-minute box play that followed for Engvall’s match penalty, and they won the match 5-0, but for Engvall, it now speaks volumes for a suspension, and on social media the Swede is seen for the assault.
“There is no room for that kind of thing in the NHL. Should give proper fines and suspension,” writes one.
“If the NHL cares about player safety, this should at least be a three-game suspension,” writes another.
However, many believe that Durzi has himself to blame for the situation, and that Engvall does not deserve any consequences for the slap.
– You’ve seen Pierre play here for a long time now, and you know he never plays to hurt, says coach Sheldon Keefe.
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