You had to figure that with the game at 4-1, that things would get a bit messy in the third period, but no one would have scripted it like this. Los Angeles Kings forward Colin Fraser shoved Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews to the ice, and then Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival essentially tackled Fraser. After Kings forward Kyle Clifford slash Rozsival in the back of the head (a play that should be reviewed by Brendan Shanahan), Toews grabbed Clifford and the pushing and shoving began.
Clifford is a tough guy that would have made quick work of Toews and armed with this knowledge, Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford stepped in and grabbed a hold of him. Had the refs not been there to separate them almost immediately, this could have escalated to a full line brawl. It did, after all, result in a stare down between the two goaltenders.
After the game, both Toews and Crawford were interviewed and here is what they had to say:
Jonathan Toews on Corey Crawford coming to his defense: “That was great. I was pretty much laughing.” #blackhawks
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) June 3, 2013
Crawford on Clifford: "He got three shots in (on Toews). Figured it was enough. Just decided to go in there and grab his head." #Blackhawks
— Tracey Myers (@Tramyers_NHL) June 3, 2013
[Video via: YouTube] [GIF via: @CJZero] [Photo via: @aaronward_nhl]
