The Philadelphia Flyers suffered a 5-4 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins of star Sidney Crosby. During the game, there was a controversial play that was strongly protested by head coach John Tortorella, who did not hesitate to blame the NHL referees.
The action of the debate occurred when Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway was hit from behind by the Penguins‘ Boko Imama in the second period. Hathaway did not have the puck and needed assistance to leave the game after the action was called for interference.
The referees initially gave Crosby’s teammate Imama a five-minute major, but after reviewing the play, they reduced it to a two-minute minor. The decision infuriated Tortorella, who had some harsh words for the officials.
Tortorella’s reaction against the referees after the controversial play
“It’s probably one of the dirtiest hits I’ve seen in quite a while. That’s a dangerous, cheap hit,” Tortorella said in front of the reporters after game against the Penguins. In addition, according to Reuters, the Flyers‘ head coach expressed that the referees’ decision was a mistake and that the play was dangerous.
Garnet Hathaway of the Philadelphia Flyers
Tortorella, who yelled at the referees during the game, explained the reason for his pronounced disagreement. “The explanation was it was not a hit to the head on the hit, that he hit his head on the ice. The hit is why he hits his head on the ice. I believe we should be thinking about what really happened, and not get glued on a hit to head originally,” he said.
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Is Hathaway injured?
Although he was injured after the hit, Hathaway underwent medical tests that revealed no serious injury. The 33-year-old forward has been a key player for the Flyers this season, scoring 18 points and leading the team with 218 hits.
