By all accounts, Steve Bernier took the flogging like a pro following Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Devils forward was responsible for a brutal boarding hit on Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi in the first period of the hockey game Monday night, and when all was said and done, Los Angeles scored three goals on the ensuing five-minute power play.
Steve Bernier, Devils Try To Get Over Stanley Cup Finals Game 6 Loss
All Bernier could do was sit in the locker room alone with the roar of the crowd alerting him of each deadly strike of a puck hitting the back of the net. Via the Bergen Record:
“I’m going to finish my hit on that play,” Bernier said. “I thought he was going to keep with the puck on his forehand and he turned back. I feel very bad, but it’s a fast game out there and it ends up being a bad play.”
Bernier said he didn’t watch the rest of the game, but sat in the locker room “and tried to listen to the crowd.”
“It was very hard, for sure,” he said. “I wish I could take that play back, but I (can’t).”
The Devils didn’t blame Bernier for the loss despite the magnified nature of his penalty and the direct result of his exit from the hockey game.
“If you want to ask me about that in about a week,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said after the game, “I’ll give you my honest opinion on it. It’s a bad spot for him to be in. Everybody knows Bernie’s heart’s in the right place. He’s not at fault.”
Zach Parise and Martin Brodeur were just a few of the players who echoed the same thoughts, but Devils blog In Lou We Trust still isn't happy with Bernier for the hit, saying that "He royally screwed up tonight." There's a Kings pun in there somewhere.
Stick with our StoryStream for complete Stanley Cup Finals Game 6 coverage. For more on the New Jersey Devils, check out Devils blog In Lou We Trust. For more on the Los Angeles Kings, check out Jewels From The Crown and SB Nation Los Angeles.
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