Jacob Trouba was at it again – delivering huge hits and winning fights.
The Rangers captain laid a massive, helmet-launching hit on the Flames’ Nazem Kadri during the second period of New York’s 5-4 overtime win at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. With the Calgary center on the ice near the Rangers’ net, his teammate Dillon Dube attempted to make Trouba pay for the hit, sparking a fight.
It didn’t prove to be the best decision for Dube. After an early – and short – stalemate, Trouba tossed four or five punches and wrestled Dube to the ground with the score knotted at two.
Trouba also had a hard hit on Dube in the first period, which prompted the Flames’ Chris Tanev to start fighting Trouba.
“For me, the first hit was a good, clean hockey hit. It wasn’t a dangerous hit,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said after the game. “You wouldn’t think there’d be retaliation for that, but there was and that’s fine. But the second one, I mean, he hit Kadri pretty hard. It looked like Kadri might’ve gotten hurt. I understand guys standing up for their teammates, it’s all the time. I just think sometimes it gets a little [bit of] overreaction”
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The 28-year-old Trouba has become one of the NHL’s more notorious hitters on the ice. The one he delivered to the Blackhawks’ Jujhar Khaira last season led to the forward being stretchered off the ice before landing in the hospital. Trouba reached out via text after the hit – which some believed as borderline dirty — and the two put it behind them during training camp this season.
Trouba also clobbered Blackhawks center Andreas Athanasiou in December during a 5-2 loss.
The defenseman was scrutinized during last year’s first-round playoff series against the Penguins when his elbow made contact with Sidney Crosby’s head, knocking the Penguins legend out of Game 5, which the Rangers won to cut the series deficit to 3-2. Crosby missed Game 6 and returned for Game 7, which the Rangers won to advance to the second round. The Rangers ousted the Hurricanes before falling to the Lightning in the conference final.