Taylor Hall Fined $5,000 For Punching Toronto's Ilya Lyubushkin
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Toronto Maple Leafs held on for a 6-4 win over the Bruins on Tuesday night, but it wasn't without controversy.
In the second period, Taylor Hall retaliated for a hit that he deemed to have been objectionable by punching Ilya Lyubushkin in the face/neck area from behind.
Lyubushkin dropped to the ice immediately. He left the game and did not return. Hall was penalized two minutes for roughing.
Reaction to the moment hit polar opposites, with NESN color commentator Andy Brickley stating that there was "just a little grab to the right ear" by Hall, and with several Canadian hockey fans likening the moment to the infamous Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident.
As with most things, the reality of the matter lies somewhere in the middle.
Certainly, Hall sucker punched the defenseman above the shoulders, which is generally a no-no at any level of hockey. Just as certainly, Hall's punch was not delivered with anything close to the level of force that Bertuzzi's had in one of the darker moments in NHL history.
Nevertheless, that type of play can and has resulted in fines and suspensions in the past. So the question was immediately raised whether Hall will face supplemental discipline from the league.
Responses to such tweets -- as expected -- run the gamut. Everyone should get the official answer from the NHL at some point on Wednesday.
UPDATE: The NHL's answer has come. Hall has been fined $5,000.
There will be no suspension.
