Was Niklas Kronwall’s hit on the Blackhawks’ Martin Havlat clean or dirty? It seems to depend upon which team you root for.
The overwhelming verdict in Detroit is that Kronwall didn’t do anything wrong. Havlat turned his head at the last minute and Kronwall leveled him. The announcers on Canadian television seem to agree with us on this one (watch and listen to video segment below).
Kronwall has developed a reputation in the NHL as a hard-checking defenseman — and sometimes reputations can haunt a person. Throw in the fact that Havlat was knocked unconscious and that the hit took place on Chicago’s home ice and Kronwall’s ejection from the game may have a more practical explanation.
What do you think? Was the hit clean? Should Kronwall have been tossed out of the game? Judge for yourself.