It’s not the first time in his career, but Jacob Trouba has yet again found himself in the center of controversy following Game 3 of the Conference Final against the Florida Panthers.
Trouba always plays the physical game and is not shy about laying big hits.
But earlier this playoffs, fans slammed him for attempting to elbow an opponent to the head. That time, he barely missed and instead threw himself into the boards.
On Sunday, Trouba did initiate contact with his elbow, which resulted in a hit on the Florida Panthers’ Evan Rodrigues.
The incident happened late in the second period of Game 3, as Rodrigues skated past Trouba close to the Rangers’ net.
As Rodrigues just avoided Trouba, the Rangers’ defenseman took his elbow out and made contact up high, stopping the scoring chance as Rodrigues fell.
Trouba was assessed a two-minute minor for the hit, although the Panthers’ bench called for at least a major penalty to be called.
Most people were furious with Trouba’s hit on social media, but former NHLer and NHL analyst Kevin Bieksa felt otherwise.
During the second intermission, Bieksa discussed Trouba’s hit and defended him for it.
”First of all, I don’t think it’s an elbow. I think guys hit like this with their forearms,” Bieksa said.
”If you get the guy in the head, you’re forearming. Yeah, but hit like this. That’s just a way of using a strong part of your body, so he’s not trying to elbow him; he’s trying to hit his body with the forearm.”
Bieksa also said he wasn’t sure that Trouba caught Rodrigues in the head.
”I think he grazes the shoulder because Evan Rodrigues is hunched over. That’s why he kind of gets shoulder and then head. I still see a little bit of shoulder impact on his jersey, and then it’s like your jaw, like the neckline, right? I mean, he gets him, yeah, but that’s why he gets a two-minute penalty.”
Although Bieksa stated that it should’ve been a five-minute major for Trouba, fans weren’t impressed with his take. Bieksa also talked about how Trouba won the Mark Messier Leadership award, but fans were quick to point out that the people don’t decide the winner; only Mark Messier does.
”The Mark Messier Leadership Award is determined by one person: Mark Messier. He certainly doesn’t speak for everyone,” one user said.
” ’I don’t think it’s an elbow.’ If that’s not an elbow literally nothing is,” another said.
”This is the first time I’ve seen him have an absolutely brutal take. It’s like Don Cherry somehow possessed him for an intermission here or something,” a third added.
”Laughable analysis by Bieksa. Made me mute my stream,” a fourth said.
