Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins got off to a bumpy start early in the second period. Penguins forward Matt Cooke delivered this crushing hit to Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid, hitting him right in the numbers. Cooke was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit.
Later in the period, Brad Marchand hit James Neal in a similar way and was only given a two-minute minor. That set off some fireworks that resulted in an Evgeni Malkin-Patrice Bergeron fight.
Neither player will end up being suspended, but these hits have set the stage for a rough and tumble finish between these two teams.
[YouTube] [YouTube] [GIF via: The Pens Blog]
