Maxim Lapierre was doing Maxim Lapierre things Wednesday night.
The Pittsburgh Penguins forward has a long history of being one of the NHL’s most infamous agitators, repeatedly displaying a willingness to cross the line of what’s considered by many to be acceptable play. That’s come not only in the form of borderline-dirty hits but also by embellishing.
Lapierre was able to earn the Penguins a power play Wednesday night when he basically exposed himself once again as a big old faker. New York Rangers forward Dominic Moore went in to finish a check on Lapierre and got him a little high. By high, we mean up near the shoulders. So naturally, Lapierre faked like he got hit in the face.
Moore earned a roughing penalty, while Lapierre earned some concerned looks from his teammates. The referees then earned a mouthful of obscenities from Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault.
This certainly isn’t the first time Lapierre has done this. Let’s step into the hockey time machine, shall we?
First, Bruins fans will recall this gem from the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
A year earlier, as a member of the Montreal Canadiens, Lapierre tried to paste himself to the glass in order to draw a penalty on this “hit” from Washington’s Mike Green.
In that same game (!), Lapierre tried to draw another penalty with the help of a little fancy footwork. Naturally, he scored a goal later in the game, because of course he did.
That’s really just the tip of the iceberg, too, or better put, those are the only results yielded from a “Maxim Lapierre dive” search on YouTube.
On Wednesday, though, the hockey gods came up big. The Rangers won in overtime and now hold a 3-1 series lead over Lapierre and the Penguins. Now’s also a good time to remind you Lapierre’s yet to win a Stanley Cup in his career, despite eight Stanley Cup playoff appearances.
H/t to Puck Daddy
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
