Former NHLer Defends Brad Marchand's Controversial hit on Henri Jokiharju

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TJ Tucker
December 9, 2023 (4:11 PM)

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Many were calling for a harsher penalty, and/or a suspension for this one. A former NHLer doesn't see it that way at all.

On Thursday, with the Buffalo Sabres playing the Boston Bruins, the always controversial Brad Marchand was heavily criticised for a hit on Henri Jokiharju. Jokiharju and his teammates weren't happy with the hit, following Marchand up the ice as he was going to the penalty box to sit for two minutes for tripping.

There was tons of criticism of Marchand online after the incident, with several people saying he was trying to injure Jokiharju. Former NHL defenceman Craig Rivet disagrees. In fact, he says what happened is entirely Jokiharju's fault.

"Dirty?? Really? Go watch this in slow motion. Watch jokiharju!! He sees the hit coming from Marchand and totally chickens out of contact. My god 👎"

Essentially, Rivet believes Jokiharju put himself in danger by trying to avoid the hit he knew was coming. His opinion is especially surprising considering he played for the Buffalo Sabres before retiring, and has hosted Sabres-focused radio shows and podcasts.

As you can imagine, not everyone agrees with Rivet's take.

POLL
Was this a dirty hit?
Yes	170	49.4 %
No	150	43.6 %
Not sure	24	7 %
List of polls

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