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Bruins-Flyers Getting Ugly: Carcillo Accuses Savard of Biting

May 4, 2010, 11:30 AM UTC

Look, let’s not pretend that most of us know what happens at the bottom of a scrum in professional sports. It’s safe to assume that punches are thrown and hair is pulled and, every so often, the occasional eye is probably being gouged. But biting? Is biting part of the game? According to the Flyers’ Dan Carcillo, biting is definitely not cool, as he spent the better part of his time with the media, after the Bruins beat Philly to go up 2-0 in the series, talking about how the Bruins’ Marc Savard did just that.â†µâ†µCarcillo told reporters, “Last time I have been bit was in grade school. It is not a good feeling. It is pretty cowardly.” â†µ

â†µâ†µThe story goes something like this: Savard chopped at the glove of Flyers goalie Brian Boucher, which led to a few of the guys in orange and white taking issue with him. Carcillo ended up bringing Savard down to the ground where the Bruin allegedly bit his finger. No blood was drawn, which kind of makes it more of a chew than a bite, right? Perhaps a nibble? Clearly not a gnaw.â†µ

â†µâ†µOf course, being the agitator that he is, Carcillo also added the obvious challenge to Savard’s manhood, by telling the reporters, “Guys don’t bite. Men don’t bite.” â†µ

â†µâ†µPuck Daddy has the story, and video (below):â†µ

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â†µWyshynski also has quotes from Savard – who CSNPhilly.com points out was suspended once in Atlanta for biting – telling NESN that it wasn't so much of a bite as Carcillo's fingers ending up in his mouth:â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥“He pummeled my face, pulled on my teeth, so I guess that’s biting when a guy tries to pull your teeth out like [he did],” Savard claimed. “I don’t know. I don’t see how that is biting. Yeah, I mean, he embellishes stuff.”â†µâ†µWhile Carcillo calling Savard a biter and Savard calling Carcillo a liar adds to the great theater of an already entertaining series, it’s a comment by Flyers captain and Lady Byng nominee Mike Richards that has Bostonians up in arms today. From CSN New England:â†µâ†µâ‡¥Richards had his own gentlemanly message for the Boston center as Savard entered the penalty box -- a threat toward the well-being of an animated Savard that was caught by more than one person within earshot on the ice at the time.â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥“You were out for six weeks?” yelled Richards toward the penalty box, referring to Savard’s career-threatening concussion. “We’ll put you out for another six weeks.”â†µâ‡¥
â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥Classy gesture from one of the league’s true ambassadors.â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µTravis Hughes of Broad Street Hockey has a different interpretation of what Richards said, suggesting that the Flyers captain was just indicating how long Savard will be at home while hockey is being played and his team is knocked out. So perhaps the comment was more, “we’re going to put you on the golf course” and less “we’re going to put you in a body bag.”â†µâ†µEither way, things sure are chippy, which always makes for entertainment on the ice in the playoffs.â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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