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Milan Lucic’s Sucker Punch of Freddy Meyer Was Pretty Wrong, But Not Completely

Look, it's never OK to punch a man when he's not expecting it. That is, after all, how Harry Houdini died.

But when that man is the same one who just laid an elbow into your face, there's something to be said about giving that man what he deserves.

That was the case for Milan Lucic, who took exception to a high cheap shot from Freddy Meyer late in the third period in Boston on Thursday night. Andrew Ference immediately jumped on Meyer, which was probably a good thing for Meyer, because Lucic looked angry.

A massive 5-on-5 scrum broke out, and Anthony Stewart (who's a big boy at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds) grabbed a hold of Lucic. The B's forward was unable to break free for about 20 seconds. Then, he caught a clear view of Meyer and busted him in the face with a quick right.

Now, Meyer may have embellished the effects of said punch by falling all the way to the frozen canvas, but it's nevertheless frowned upon to throw a punch at a guy whose arms are by his side.

The difference, though, with Lucic is that on his way off the ice, he challenged the entire Atlanta bench, as if to say, "Yeah, I'll see you guys next Thursday night at your place, and we can talk about that punch." He knew it went against the code, but he was willing to accept the consequences. That might include a suspension, but the energy provided Thursday night should make a game or two's absence for Lucic more acceptable.

So let's just say that Lucic's sucker punch was 75 percent wrong and 25 percent right. For a Bruins team that's been listless for much of the past two weeks, it was 100 percent necessary.

Photo of the day

Was Milan Lucic's punch dirty, acceptable or somewhere in between? Watch the punch in the Video of the Day section, then share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Quote of the day

"Imagine if you could take Kevin Love off Minnesota  and add him to another team and you shrink the [league]. Looking at some of the teams that aren't that great, you take Brook Lopez or you take Devin Harris off these teams that aren't that good right now and you add him to a team that could be really good. Not saying let's take New Jersey and let's take Minnesota out of the league. But hey, you guys are not stupid, I'm not stupid, it would be great for the league."
–LeBron James, on his Christmas wish of NBA contraction

Comment of the day

Sorry, man. I'm truly sorry.

"I had pushed Super Bowl 42 so far down into the recesses of my subconscious that I forgot all about it. God, reopening that wound stings. And I watched it with a Giants fan. I couldn't drink enough beer to drown him out."
–Harley J., via Facebook

Video of the Day

When Marc Savard drops the glove, you know you've got something going on. When Nathan Horton takes on the guy who knocked out Matt Cooke with one punch, you've really got something going on (though Evander Kane really should lose the visor).

Here it is: The brawl that might have saved the Bruins' season.