‘The Code’ comes into play yet again in Canadiens-Leafs series
Chiarot #Chiarot
It’s called “The Code.”
The unwritten — and outdated — rules that still govern hockey players when it comes to dropping the gloves and fighting and that the NHL somehow still encourages.
“The Code” resulted in Canadiens defenceman Ben Chiarot fracturing his right hand and missing 15 games this season after accepting a challenge to fight the Vancouver Canucks’ J.T. Miller during a game in March.
The score was tied 0-0 late in the first period and Miller wanted to provide a spark for his team, so he asked Chiarot to fight. Chiarot agreed and landed a solid punch to Miller’s visor and later required surgery to fix his hand. The Canadiens won the game 5-1 and lost one of their top defencemen.
“The Code” came into play again Thursday night in Game 1 of the Canadiens’ first-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This time it was Chiarot who bodychecked Toronto’s John Tavares and as the Leafs captain fell to the ice Corey Perry’s knee caught him in the head. Perry, who was back-checking, tried to jump out of the way of Tavares but wasn’t able to and his knee knocked Tavares out.
Tavares was taken off the ice on a stretcher and spent the night in a Toronto hospital. Thankfully, the Leafs reported Friday that their captain, who suffered a concussion, had left the hospital and was recovering at home with his family. He will be out indefinitely.
The play was obviously an accident, but the Leafs’ Nick Foligno decided he had to fight Perry when the puck dropped for the next faceoff as part of “The Code.”
“Our captain is laying on the ice,” Foligno said after the game. “They would have done the same if (it was) their captain. (The hit) wasn’t malicious. (The fight) takes away any grey (area). Perry’s a big boy. It just allows everyone to go back and play.”
The two teams did go back and play, but the Leafs’ Wayne Simmonds still wanted to fight Perry again later in the game.
Maybe that’s another part of “The Code.”
The Canadiens’ Eric Staal, a veteran of 1,293 career NHL games, was asked Friday for his thoughts about what happened with Foligno as well as “The Code” in general.
“Honestly, for me, I didn’t really love it last night how that all played out,” Staal said. “It was scary for everybody. Everybody that was in the building, everybody that was on the ice. You never want to see that. John’s a great person and, obviously, that’s all you’re worried about at that time … especially with the empty building. I mean, I’ve seen a lot of things in this game and that whole scenario was no fun to be a part of. And then to follow it up with that (fight), I didn’t love it. But maybe that’s what they needed to do to kind of get over it and get it out of the way.
“Seeing the replay and watching it and seeing it, it couldn’t be any more freak,” Staal added. “This game is so intense, it’s so fast. Things are happening a million miles an hour and it was unfortunate. Obviously, we hope and pray John is feeling better and keeps improving. In a moment like that, that’s what’s important and that’s what you’re thinking about.”
The Leafs were also obviously thinking about “The Code.”
“Honestly, it was such a part of the game where there was so many emotions that you’re dealing with,” Staal said. “I think every single person on the ice felt sick to their stomach and it was no fun. It was no fun for anyone to be a part of or to see or go through. But, obviously, Nick felt that it was something that he needed to do. That’s fine … but for me, if I was the captain and that happened I don’t think I would be mad at the guys for not doing that if they didn’t. You know, it is what it is. It’s done with now. Pears hung in there. It didn’t look like he really wanted to go, either. I just don’t think anyone felt very good about it all. It was no fun.
“We’re glad that John’s feeling better and we’re glad that he’s recovering at home with his family and we’ll all move past and try and be ready for Game 2.”
I guess we’ll find out what the next set of rules for “The Code” are once the puck drops Saturday night in Toronto (7 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).
scowan@postmedia.com
twitter.com/StuCowan1