According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the NHL is looking into an incident late in Game 6 where Milan Michalek reportedly kicked at Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi with his skate.
Sources confirmed to the Sun Tuesday morning Shanahan has acquired the CBC footage of the play. If Giradri’s claim is verified, Michalek could face a fine or suspension before Game 7 of the series on Thursday in New York.
Video replay of the incident (which we’re working on getting for you) shows Michalek on his stomach with Girardi on top of him. Michalek then kicks at Girardi with his skate to urge him to get off of him. Believe it or not, kicking isn’t something new to deal with in hockey or the playoffs.
A similar incident like this occurred this season with Carolina’s Jeff Skinner getting a two-game suspension for doing virtually the same thing. There was also an incident in 2002 between Shayne Corson and Eric Cairns that saw Corson suspended for Game 7 of the Maple Leafs series against the Islanders as Corson kicked Cairns in Game 6.
If there’s anything to Michalek kicking Girardi, the Senators could be looking at missing a major offensive contributor in a crucial game.