Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Sutter on Brown’s kneeing ejection: ‘It’s not the right call’

Darryl Sutter

Los Angeles Kings head coach Darryl Sutter watches his team after Chicago Blackhawks’ Kris Versteeg scored a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

AP

While the Los Angeles Kings beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Thursday night, they had to do it for most of the game without captain Dustin Brown.

Brown was given a five-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct for his hit on Sharks rookie Tomas Hertl. Hertl left the game and did not return.

As could be expected, Kings coach Darryl Sutter didn’t agree with call and said as much following the game as Jon Rosen of L.A. Kings Insider shares.

“You lose a player for almost the whole game when you’re in this type of schedule – that is not the right call. Clear. No more questions about it. I saw it live and I saw two or three replays. It’s not the right call.”

Unsurprisingly, Sharks coach Todd McLellan didn’t share the same viewpoint but said it was up to the NHL Department of Player Safety to decide how bad it was.

Brown has a bit of a history with bad hits around the knee. His hit on then Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Michal Rozsival during Game 5 of the 2012 Western Conference Final left Coyotes players and fans alike furious over the lack of call or league discipline for the hit.

Follow @JoeYerdonPHT