In his second game back after suffering a stroke, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang managed to score a goal. He also got into a scuffle with Philadelphia Flyers winger Scott Hartnell, which spawned an ... interesting set of comments.
Here’s video of the altercation:
At first, it seemed like Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma was blasting Hartnell for the incident, prompting Flyers head coach Craig Berube to provide a reasonable counter:
Bylsma on Hartnell / Letang: "a guy picking on a guy who had a stroke." Berube: "Then he shouldn't be playing. ... That's a dumb comment."
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) April 12, 2014
Apparently the situation is more inflammatory in that context than it was in reality, as it appears that Bylsma didn’t actually mean it:
Bylsma clarified to me that Hartnell "picking on" Letang quote absolutely said tongue-in-cheek, agreed that if Letang out there, fair game
— Joe Starkey (@JoeStarkey1) April 12, 2014
So, crisis averted? Probably, but that doesn’t mean these two teams (or those two players or the two head coaches) necessarily like each other.
Let’s all file this away in case there’s a second-round series between the Flyers and Penguins, though. You know, just to be safe.
Update: Here is the full Bylsma quote via the Canadian Press:
“I did have that thought when that was going on there,” Bylsma said. "(Letang) kind of had the play there and the puck on his skate to try to score a goal. It fell off his stick and the whistle and everything ensued after that. Yeah it does, a guy picking on a guy who had a stroke.”