The Bruins didn’t get much in the way of justice during a nasty exchange between dirty, cheap shot artist Steve Ott and Bruins captain Zdeno Chara on Saturday night. Both players were handed minor penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct after cross-checking each other into oblivion during the first shift of Saturday night’s game, and replays showed that the whole thing started when Ott pitch-forked Chara between the legs with his stick in the game’s opening seconds.
So instead justice was served a day later as Ott, a 14-year veteran with a reputation for going way over the line to get under the skin of his opponents, was fined the maximum allowable $2.222.22 under the CBA for his action of spearing Chara between the legs after the opening face-off.
Chara was understandably incensed after Ott speared him in the groin, and showed his anger by going right back at the Red Wings agitator in the 1-0 B’s win at Joe Louis Arena. The matching penalties were given once the refs began paying attention to the two combatants on the ice, but it was pretty clear they missed Ott’s dirty stick work to start it all.
The glaring omission from the refs on the ice was quickly rectified by the league on Sunday, and the fine money will be donated to the Player’s Emergency Assistance Fund.