For three seasons, Matt Hendricks gave his heart and soul to the Washington Capitals. There were big hits, paralyzing shootout goals, and fights. Lots and lots of fights. When Hendricks’ contract ran out in 2013, he signed a new one, a large one, with Nashville– then bounced around until he found a home in Edmonton.
On Wednesday, in what was the weirdest moment of the night so far, Hendricks checked two (2!) guys at the same time, Michael Latta and an Edmonton teammate. Hendricks was then forced to drop the gloves with first-year Caps forward Liam O’Brien.
Perhaps an awkward moment for Caps fans?
Hendricks won the bout decisively, though O’Brien got the takedown. I’m assuming O’Brien went that route because his face was tired of eating punches like Halloween candy.
GIFs by @myregularface
The part of this play that bugs me, other than seeing a beloved guy fight a player on his former team, was that O’Brien took an unnecessary interference penalty for checking Hendricks before the fight. I’m not a big fan of fights after clean hits– even more so when you take an extra minor.
What a warrior The Wagon is though. He’s still Thick and Proud!
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