It’s one of the most infamous cheap shots in NHL history. In the NHL playoffs 1993, Pierre Turgeon had just scored to make it 5-1 over the Washington Capitals.
Dale Hunter had given the puck away, and Pierre Turgeon pretty much decided the series victory for the Islanders.
When Turgeon celebrated, Dale Hunter blindsided him along the boards. Turgeon suffered a separated shoulder, leading to him missing all but one of the Islanders’ remaining playoff games.
Dale Hunter was handed a 21-game suspension.
But what few know about the incident is what happened just after the game, and how some Islanders players planned on jumping Hunter off ice.
”I was out of that game. I got a ten minute misconduct towards the end when that happened. Rich Pilon and I had a plan to get Dale Hunter,” Mick Vukota said on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast.
”You remember the Coliseum? You walked by the home locker room to get to the bus. So that’s how it was back then. And Rich Pilon was going to come out our back entrance, and start a commotion with Dale Hunter, and get his back turned. And then I was going to come out of the stick room and jump Dale.”
Vukota was waiting for Dale Hunter in just his undies, but all of a sudden, they had the throw their plan in the bin.
”So I’m in the stick room in my underwear, waiting, and I’m like, ’I’m not kidding. I’m going to go ballistic.’ Al Arbour comes walking by and he sees me, and he goes, ’Jesus, do me a favor. Whatever you and that dumb s—t over there have planned, it’s not going to happen. Get in the locker room, get showered and get the hell out of here.’
As they later found out, they weren’t even close on getting back at Hunter.
”Meanwhile, they took Dale Hunter all the way around, the other way. They knew something was up. I was so pathetic. I mean, we had no creativity, at all.”
