The Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars won’t meet again this season - unless it’s in the Stanley Cup finals. Their irregular matchups didn’t keep the game from getting physical, but the most controversial moment almost might be the strangest. Stars agitator Steve Ott and Flyers coach Peter Laviolette briefly shoved each other as both were trying to leave the ice during the first intermission of what was eventually a 4-1 Flyers win.
CSNPhilly.com’s Tim Panaccio caught up with Ott, who had these comments about the exchange.
“I mean, have a little respect,” Ott said. “They’re supposed to go the other way. If the coaches use the tunnel, then they wait for the players. That’s just the way it always is.
“I mean, if he has to be ‘that guy,’ I guess he can be. But there should be a mutual respect there. I wouldn’t do it to his Philadelphia Flyers team, and he shouldn’t do it to ours.”
Laviolette deflected questions about the mini-scuffle, but Panaccio reports that Colin Campbell will review the situation since it’s an exchange between a coach and a player.
Honestly, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, even if it’s a bizarre situation. It could be incredibly interesting fodder for next week’s episode of HBO 24/7, but I’d guess that’s the most that will come from it. Feel free to share how you feel about the way the NHL should handle the situation in the comments, though.
(For what it’s worth, the Stars’ tunnel was blocked so Laviolette took the same exit as the Flyers squad did during the second intermission.)