Duncan Keith fielded the questions about Raffi Torres, his thoughts on the Phoenix Coyotes forwards hit on his teammate, Marian Hossa, the night before.
In a way, Keith could relate.
Ive made mistake(s) myself, said Keith. Torres is playing hard, trying to help his team. He made a mistake, too.
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Keith never mentioned his mistake specifically. But it certainly sounded like he was alluding to his elbow to Canucks forward Daniel Sedins head, the one that cost him a five-game suspension, the one that has him as hated in Vancouver as Torres currently is in Chicago.
When it first happened, Keith said, the puck was up in the air, and from what I remember, Im trying to close my gap and have a good gap on him, Right at the last second he moves forward and I dont know where the puck is. Its fast and, like I said, I hope hes OK. He was asked several times in the ensuing days to revisit his hit, and the one Daniel had on him, but he didnt want to elaborate on either.
On Wednesday, Keith admitted that emotions can get the best of you in heated on-ice situations.
For myself, yeah, you have to keep your emotions in check. I learned from that, Keith said. Its tough, though. Hockeys a fast-paced game and things happen in the heat of the moment you regret. At the same time, its about being in control.
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Keiths loss of control cost him five games and a chunk of his wallet. He was also assessed a two-minute elbowing penalty on the play. Torres wasnt penalized for his hit in Game 3, and NHL officials later said none of the four referees saw the play, so nothing was called.
Its easy to look back and say, it shouldve been a penalty. But I guess the refs didnt see it, Keith said. It happened quick and the puck wasnt there, and they didnt see it. So if they didnt see it, they didnt see it.
The NHL will look at Torres hit again, and theyll have an in-person hearing with the forward on Friday. Emotions get the best of players. They got to Keith before; they apparently got to Torres again.