Arber Xhekaj loves the physical game, but on Sunday, he might have crossed the line in a heated exchange, and now he could face serious consequences.
During Sunday’s game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins, Arber Xhekaj was involved in a scrum stemming from a clean hit.
Xhekaj got into Mark Kastelic’s face, and in those kinds of situations, Xhekaj rarely backs down. Instead, he often takes things a bit further, and that’s exactly what he did this time.
Xhekaj clearly tried to punch Kastelic in the face, but it went horribly wrong when the punch landed on the official trying to separate the two players.
Arber Xhekaj in hot water
Replays of the incident showed no doubt that Xhekaj’s punch caught the unsuspecting official in the face, who reacted instinctively by dropping his head and putting his hand on his helmet for protection.
Although Xhekaj’s actions weren’t intentional, the outcome was terrible, and many now expect the Department of Player Safety to punish the hard-playing defenseman for the incident.
The scrum occurred after Xhekaj delivered a clean hit on the Bruins’ tough guy Trent Frederic, prompting Bruins players to immediately swarm him. The NHL doesn’t take kindly to abuse of its officials and may need to send a message reminding players to exercise caution when referees are nearby.
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