BRIGHTON, Mass – As one would expect, Adam McQuaid was taking the high road a day after getting hammered multiple times to the face as a defenseless combatant held back by linesman Greg Devorski in an aborted fight with William Carrier.
Carrier had leveled David Backes with a blindside hit that knocked him out of the game in the first period in the B’s 4-2 victory in Buffalo on Thursday night. McQuaid came looking for Carrier when both were on the ice together. Both Carrier and McQuaid had dropped the gloves and were willing combatants with Carrier answering for his borderline hit and McQuaid as usual standing up to his defend his teammates.
With an organic fight stirring up that the NHL supposedly still allows within the rules, however, Devorski and Mark Shewchyk jumped in and tried separating the two heavyweights as they were beginning to throw punches.
Devorski locked down McQuaid’s arms and then Carrier smacked the defenseless Bruins D-man with a number of powerful rights as Shewchyk was overpowered in his ill-conceived attempt to break things up.
It was clear that Devorski and Shewchyk screwed up royally and it’s been part of an ongoing trend where the linesmen are breaking up legitimate hockey fights just as they’re getting started. It’s a dangerous ploy that’s eventually is going to get somebody hurt and McQuaid was just glad it wasn’t anything more than stitches for him after getting suckered by Carrier.
“It’s frustrating in that situation. You’re not able to protect yourself and defend yourself, so of course it’s a little frustrating,” said McQuaid, who was also pulled apart from Josh Anderson in Columbus on Tuesday night when both players once again wanted to drop the gloves against each other. “It’s a tough situation for everybody. I guess they’re not doing it for no reason when [the linesmen] are getting in there, but in the middle of something like that things happen quick.
“It gets heated and we’re all human. But at the same time it’s like a quick response [from them], I guess. They’re there to protect guys at the end of the day, but you also want to be able to protect yourself in that situation.”
Boston Bruins
Devorski and Shewchyk dodged bullet when the players and the on-ice officials escaped the ill-advised situation without any injuries, but somebody is going to get hurt if the NHL officials continue to step in to defuse a fight that’s well within the rhythm and feel of the game. Otherwise it’s also open season for players such as Carrier to throw injurious blindside hits at opponents with little fear of retribution, or in this case also supplemental discipline, coming their way.