Photo: Rick Scuteri/AP
During parts of 10 seasons with the Washington Capitals, Center Jay Beagle was a reliable fourth-line center, who served the team as a cog in the bottom-six. Now a member of the Arizona Coyotes, after a stint with the Vancouver Canucks, the 36-year old has come under fire from an incident during a game against the Anaheim Ducks on April 1 in which a scrum in front of the Arizona net saw Beagle drop the gloves.
With 5:37 remaining in regulation, the Ducks’ Trevor Zegras took a poke at the puck while in the goaltender’s glove and after the whistle had blown. Beagle took exception and cross-checked Zegras to the ice. Troy Terry then appeared to take a swing at Beagle during the ensuing scrum, and Beagle said “no you don’t”.
The Coyotes’ announcers seemed to feel that Beagle was relating a message to Terry. “That’s the problem with these young players. You wanna embarrass guys? You wanna skill it up? You better be prepared to get punched in the mouth.”
Zegras scored a “Michigan goal” earlier in the game, which has been considered “hot dogging” by many of the NHL veterans.
Earlier this season former Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella shot down the play, labeled it a gimmick and called it dishonest to the sport.
“I’d have a talk with the people. I would after the game,” Tortorella said. “I’m not trying to be difficult about it. It’s fun to watch, it’s really cool, but I just think our game has gone so far away from what the game should be. A hard game. An honest game. It’s almost gotten too showman. I know you need to have it; you need to sell the game, but I’m from the ilk that it’s still a hard game to play and a good, honest hockey game needs to be played and I think some of this stuff here, we get carried away.”
Zegras, who was interviewed after the game, was not happy about Beagle’s throttling of Terry and did not hold back in his comments, refraining only from using Beagle’s name.
“I get that you’re gonna hit me in the back but you don’t punch a guy when he’s down. Especially a 32-goal scorer in the NHL who’s a superstar. I think it’s embarrassing, I think it’s a bad look for the league,” Zegras told reporters after the game.
“For the player that did, it’s humiliating and I think he should be f******* punished.”
“I get that he’s gonna punch him maybe once,” Zegras continued. “But the fact that he’s down and he’s not engaged in the fight and you’re gonna hit him three more times? I think it’s embarrassing. I think he should be embarrassed.”
As expected, Beagle’s teammates were behind Jay 100%.
Here’s Coyotes F Michael Carcone, asked about teammate Jay Beagle after last night’s game: pic.twitter.com/JJDaBSJfvw
— José M. Romero (@RomeroJoseM) April 2, 2022
The NHL did not discipline Beagle for the incident (although his teammate Nick Ritchie was suspended one game for slashing Anaheim defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk), which drew the ire of many on social media, including Ducks legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne, who shared a photo of Terry while stating his displeasure with the Ducks’ young players being “pushed around” and jokingly making a reference to longtime NHL forward and notable tough guy Tie Domi.
Don’t like how these young Ducks stars get pushed around …we need a couple @thereal_tiedomi ‘s here…now..joke is over… pic.twitter.com/ygmAf2BB53
— Teemu Selanne (@TeemuSel8nne) April 2, 2022
The Coyotes sit in last place in the Central Division with a 21-42-5 record, and second-to-last in the league standings overall, behind the Montreal Canadiens. Beagle has played in 25 games, with one goal and a minus-11 rating.
By Jon Sorensen
Terry jumped Beagle from behind same way Panarin jumped on Wilson. You mess with the bull ya get the horns! Terry and Panarin both got exactly what they deserved.
Yep, Beags just teaching the punk kids a little respect for the game.
Looked like Terry tried to take a swing at him and missed. That’s disrespect.
Punk kids.. Terry has 30 goals this season. Beagle has under 60 in 15 years. Beagle was embarrassed and had to beat up someone 50 lbs less and not fighting back to prove he’s a man. Must be a Canadian or something. Beagle looked like a sad lil embarrassed child and disgraced the NHL.
How does the number of goals scored have any thing to do with this? Terry took a swing at him. Ok, that’s fine, but he can’t whimper away if he gets his ass beat for doing so. Disrespect for the NHL vet. Just like Svechnikov.
Beagle has more class in his little finger than you do in your entire family.
Beagle will be cut at the end of the season, his weak career is over. Nobody will miss him
Really! “Must be a Canadian ” WTF is that supposed to mean? Terry and Zegrus need to lean a little humility from the older players in the NHL . You don’t try to poke at the goalies glove when he has the puck covered ! And you don’t grab someone from behind unless you are ready to defend yourself!! You’re such a coward you won’t even put your name on your post. Must be an American who doesn’t know anything about the Canadian game!! Look at all the greatest hockey players in the game! The majority came from Canada! So for you to say something as stupid as that, shows you have no clue about hockey!!
Continue to dig at puck on goalie, you get cross checked, take a swing in retaliation you drop the gloves, now you have to decide in middle of fight when to stop! Come on things happen in fights, lots of emotions. Anonymous gives lots of reasons what Beagle did wrong, then blame’s a Country, as in Canadian’s . Anonymous real stand up guy, and no faults himself!!!!!
Not a ducks fan, but it DOESN’T look like Beagle is jumped from behind after his cheap shot crosscheck after the whistle. Fine Beagle and suspend him. Terry looks like he’s just trying to move Beagle away from Zegras after that cheap shot.
Beags catching heat from hockey fans that no nothing about his character. They need to pay a little more attention to what’s going on. Beagle is sending a clear message to the youngsters. Hope they read it loud and clear.
Roger that. Beags is definitely sending a message. It reminds me a bit of Svechnikov disrespecting Ovi. If Lessons need to be handed out the hard way, so be it. There is no higher character in the game than Jay Beagle,
Beagle has a huge target on his back now. If he plays another year he’ll be getting KO’d like he did by Asham multiple times. AZ is a garbage fire though, half the ECHL is more talented.
I’m not sure by who. All the NHL veterans are probably sending Beags “thank you” text messages. Remember, he’s the ONLY player ever to win it all in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. The only one! Undrafted. His work ethic and respect for the game is second to none.
Oh is the message to cheap shot crosscheck after the whistle? Jerk!
Zegras needs to be next is the ass whooping line. You can tell the punk has no respect for the game.
Zegras is the best of the new generation. Can’t hate on a guy for having that incredible skillset. Definitely the best rookie to come out in a few years.
“Skill set”? I hear that a lot for the Michigan, a gimmick play.
One can see the “Michigan goal” becoming more and more common. Do we want to see this eagerly other goal scored in five years? That’s a different sport. Will it be a better sport? That remains to be seen.
The more skilled the game gets, the more aggressive it will become.
What is the most effective way to stop these more skilled players and moves?
Knock them on their ass.
Exactly right. If you don’t want to be embarrassed by a skill player then learn to defend that play with a good solid body check.
Where’s Arron Asham when you need him.
Really! “Must be a Canadian ” WTF is that supposed to mean? Terry and Zegrus need to lean a little humility from the older players in the NHL . You don’t try to poke at the goalies glove when he has the puck covered ! And you don’t grab someone from behind unless you are ready to defend yourself!! You’re such a coward you won’t even put your name on your post. Must be an American who doesn’t know anything about the Canadian game!! Look at all the greatest hockey players in the game! The majority came from Canada! So for you to say something as stupid as that, shows you have no clue about hockey!!
Ducks just need to sign Aaron Asham for next game vs Coyotes…..if you watch the video Terry did NOT swing at him just tried to tie him up. First two punches taught a lesson, last 3 were unnecessary as Terry wasn’t swinging back but pulling a Tkachuk Turtle. Coyotes were embarrassed as they have no skill players like the Ducks but I’d like to see your proof of anyone other than that dinosaur Torterella (who is just trying to stay barely relevant with his comments) who has anything negative to say about these young kids and their skills-the game evolves and changes maybe your analysis and writing should as well? Beagle is out of league in next 2 years(with a decent journeyman career) but Zegras and Terry will be all-stars for next decade
Looking forward to rematch and watching Beagle getting beaten up like no other. Karma if next encounter ends his career
The fact of this situation are thus:
-Zegras is an arrogant prick, and his post game comments confirm this.
-It’s the end of a 5-0 game, and the Ducks’ best player is poking the goalie after the play. Why? Because he is an arrogant prick and he was trying to embarrass the Yotes, who get the score run up on them all the time.
-The goalie who allowed the Zegras/Milano goal and saw them yukking it up on the bench must have loved this.
-Beagle is an objectively clean player, and isn’t a fighter. This is his second career NHL fight. The fact that he went off like this should say something, all bias aside. Imagine if Trevor Lewis or Calle Jarnkrok did this- you have to give some benefit of the doubt to the veteran.
Zegras poking around the goaltender after the whistle, 5 nothing game, 5 minutes to go in the game. Only reason you do that is to run up the score. Zegras should be the one embarassed.
Beagle is not an enforcer, just solid defensive player who can play tough. Hockeyfights.com lists a grand total fo 4 fights in his NHL career. Beagle rataliated against Zegras poking the goalie, sort of a normal response. Defenseman #4 skates in and shoves his glove in Beagle’s face. Then #19 skates in, swings and misses. Not sure what Terry thought would happen, but he engaged in the fight. I am quite sure Beagle had no clue who he was fighting against since 2 different players tooks swings at him.
Just 4 fights, two in preseason and the other two (including his one against Terry) during regular season.
As a rule, Beagle is not a fighter. This was only his second regular season fight. (He had two preseason fights.)
Zegras needs to get his butt kicked directly after scoring one of his showboat goals so he knows what it’s for. A couple of those and he’ll start respecting the game a little more.
Bags learned his pugilist skills from Wilson.
After he was punched once the linesmen should have intervened. Officiating Big FAIL. Terry never dropped the gloves. It was a beating and that’s a bad look, even for those of us who understand the code. Zegras getting cross checked was understandable, but Beagle lost his mind, and went over the line. If he returns next season, he will be paid back in full. Bettman or Daly probably show up at the game to witness it. Parros running NHLPS is a joke. Player Safety? Whose are they looking to protect? Beagle will probably wish had been suspended since justice has not been served. He might avoid having the crap kicked out of though, he’s a bit long in the tooth, no longer NHL caliber effective, and may not get a contract in 22-23.
Zegras was lucky he played his Jr Candy Ass hockey in the U.S. He would not have lasted one year in the Canadian Jr Hockey League with his arrogant attitude. Keep your Candy ass mouth shut or you will be next on the hit parade.