From the Ottawa Senators’ perspective, defenseman Eric Gryba’s hit on Montreal Canadiens forward Lars Eller was an unfortunate circumstance instead of a suspension-worthy blow.
Head coach Paul MacLean chalked it up to bad luck to the Montreal Gazette’s Dave Stubbs.
"[It was] a hockey play that went bad for Eller,” MacLean said.
Gryba, 25, provided a similar message to Sportsnet’s Ian Mendes.
“My elbow was down and there was no intent to hurt him whatsoever,” Gryba said. “I hope he’s okay ... It’s never good seeing that.”
No word on whether or not Senators owner Eugene Melnyk will get his forensics team on the case, though. (Apologies, that joke was required.)
As you can see from this video, Jeremy Roenick and Keith Jones likely agree with Gryba and MacLean: