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Is San Jose’s McGinn a “Canuck hunter”?

Jamie McGinn

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alex Edler is listed as day-to-day after getting nailed by San Jose’s Jamie McGinn last night. Edler left the contest late in the second period of Vancouver’s 3-2 win and didn’t return, with early speculation being a shoulder injury.

The hit was notable for two reasons. One, Edler has emerged as Vancouver’s top blueliner this season, leading all defensemen in scoring and ice time.

Two, it was another notch in McGinn’s belt.

As Iain MacIntrye of the Vancouver Sun explains (in a piece entitled “Edler out after hit by Canuck-hunter McGinn”), the third-year pro has quite the history with Vancouver:

Edler was hit hard shoulder-to-shoulder by Jamie McGinn in a race to the puck near the corner.

Edler dropped his stick, skated immediately to the bench and was hunched over in obvious discomfort in the final minute of the second period. He did not return for the third period.

“Just got a big hit there at the end of the second period,” Vigneault said. “Upper body and he’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow.”

Both Aaron Rome and former Canuck Christian Ehrhoff were injured by McGinn in last year’s playoffs.

The most heinous of McGinn’s hits was on Rome, which netted him a five-minute major and game misconduct:

Today, Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area caught up with McGinn and asked him about the Canuck hunter tag and last night’s hit on Edler.

“I’m just finishing my checks. I never want anyone to get hurt, and I try and play a real clean game,” he said. “I think it was one of those ones where we’re both just running into each other. I didn’t realize he was hurt after; I just kind of kept going. It’s never a good thing when someone goes out to injury, but that’s just the way I play. I just try and play hard-nosed.

“It kind of continued on from playoffs. It was a physical game and a high-paced game.”