It didn’t take long for Canucks rookie phenom Elias Pettersson to get his “welcome to the NHL moment,” but even so nobody expected it would involve getting slammed on the ice like he was in a WWE ring.
Canucks phenom Elias Pettersson got slammed to the ice like he was in a WWE ring
“It’s a dirty play.”
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
The Canucks played the Panthers on Saturday night and Mike Matheson didn’t appreciate getting beaten by the 19-year-old, so he looked to exact some revenge. While skating behind the net the defender picked up Pettersson and slammed him on the ice. The hit appeared to cause the rookie’s head to bounce off the ice, and he was clearly having difficulty standing after the shot. The team has not issued an update on his status.
After the game Canucks coach Travis Green was clear about what he thought of the play.
“It’s a dirty play. The league’s trying to protect the good young players, and that’s a dirty play.”
There has been some criticism that Green didn’t order his players to exact revenge for the hit on Pettersson, but veteran Antoine Roussel knows they’ll get a chance later in the year.
“It’s a long season, we’ll catch them back.”
Pettersson has been astounding for the Canucks so far. The rookie has eight points in five games, and was a key reason Vancouver went on to win 3-2 on Saturday night. It remains to be seen if the NHL will punish Matheson for the hit.
