ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) – Henrik Lundqvist was flipping mad that referee Trevor Hanson wouldn’t blow his whistle to stop play. Run over by teammate Ryan McDonagh seconds earlier, the injured New York Rangers goaltender took the situation into his own hands and flipped the net over to get a stoppage.
Lundqvist was called for a delay of game penalty, gave up three goals to the Pittsburgh Penguins later in the period and left the game at intermission with neck spasms.
The outburst has current and former goalies around the NHL buzzing.
Marc-Andre Fleury of the Penguins called it “baby stuff,” according to the team website. Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals disagreed, saying Lundqvist shouldn’t be criticized one bit.
“I think he did the right thing,” Holtby said Friday. “I thought it was absurd he got penalized for it. You get hit in the head as a goalie, you can’t skate to the bench for a line change. If you’re seeing stars, you can’t see the puck. You have no other option. It was the wrong call, and I felt bad for him.”