During Friday night’s loss to the Penguins, T.J. Oshie cross checked Kris Letang by the boards late in the second period. On Saturday morning, the NHL Department of Player Safety issued Oshie a $5,000 fine. After the Capitals had their practice Saturday morning, Oshie and Capitals head coach Barry Trotz talked to reporters and gave their thoughts on the fine.
In case you missed the play, here it is:
Washington’s T. J. Oshie fined $5,000 for cross-checking Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang last night. #Pens #CapsPens pic.twitter.com/ru9xKB7owm
— Chase Williams WPXI (@chasepwilliams) February 3, 2018
With 19.4 seconds left and the score knotted at three, Oshie laid out a hit on Letang along the boards. Letang got his hand up while Oshie delivered a cross-check to the neck area and the two fought for a brief moment before the officials broke them up. Each of them got two-minute minors.
Oshie was skating in his usual spot on the second line and will still play in Sunday’s game vs. the Vegas Golden Knights. With the news coming just an hour before the team took the ice, Oshie was well aware of the punishment and wasn’t pleased.
“I agree it’s a penalty but I don’t look down and target. First of all, I didn’t hit his head so I don’t know what replay or secret camera they had other than the replays they sent me,” Oshie told reporters.
“I have my own thoughts. Osh, I could see his frustration, Trotz added. “He missed a lot of time when he was vulnerable at one time. He has a right to be upset a little bit I think.”
Part of Oshie’s displeasure comes from a game against the San Jose Sharks back on Dec. 4 where he was slammed into the boards by Joe Thornton. Thornton didn’t receive a fine or suspension while Oshie suffered a concussion from the play and was sidelined for the next two weeks. Here’s a replay of that hit:
“I got a concussion over a month ago after I got hit. I don’t know what the norm is. Do you get like .8 seconds or something? I got hit close to four seconds after having the puck. Not only that, I got a concussion on the play,” said Oshie.
Oshie also point out that Kris Letang got “two free shots in my face. One sucker punch, I dropped the gloves. Apparently, he didn’t want to and then he got another one (punch) in once the ref came in.”
Oshie concluded his interview saying, “It’s a little frustrating. Nothing I can do about it now but pay the fine. I said my two cents, hopefully it changes and the league can figure out a way to get some consistency. It seems like it really depends on who the hitter is, how many games they’ve played, who they play for.”
By Michael Marzzacco
Follow @marswaggo
I agree the league has always shown favoritism for certain teams and certain players. It is shameful that Oshie was fined for the hit on Letang. But, hey always got to protect the Pens at any cost. I guess the good thing is that it wasn’t Crosby, or Oshie would have been suspended at least 5 games on top of the fine.