BOSTON — Circle Dec. 27 on your calendars, Bruins fans. Things are sure get to very interesting that night.
That’s the date of the next meeting between the Bruins and the Columbus Blue Jackets — a non-traditional rivalry that was given a serious jolt by an event that took place Friday night.
During the final seconds of overtime in an eventual shootout win for Boston, Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout felled B’s power forward Milan Lucic — a player known for his brawling prowess — with one punch.
Lucic didn’t address the media after that game, but he did give his take on Prout’s punch after the Bruins dropped a 2-0 decision to the Montreal Canadiens the following night.
“I didn’t like it,” Lucic said Saturday. “But the good thing is we get to play them two more times, so…”
The winger smiled as that sentence trailed off.
Lucic, who logged 17:13 of ice time against the Canadiens and said he felt “fine,” explained that he did not want to fight Prout, and that he viewed the young blueliner’s decision to throw a punch anyway as a serious breach of etiquette.
“It’s the end of the game. I let him know that I wasn’t going to fight him,” he said. “So, I wasn’t prepared and let my guard down, and that’s what happens sometimes when you let your guard down. I mean, I’ve been in over 100 fights, and I never took a shot like that. So, like I said, we get two more opportunities to play the Blue Jackets, and I’ll be ready.”
Lucic said he doesn’t remember much about what Prout said to him after the incident, but it’s unlikely any words could have changed his opinion about what took place.
“There’s (been) many a time that I could have done the exact same thing, and I held off because a guy’s refusing to drop his gloves,” Lucic said. “I find it to be gutless. That’s my thoughts on it.”
The two combatants do have somewhat of a history with one another. Lucic and Prout previously traded blows back on Nov. 30, 2013.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
