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Leafs Dion Phaneuf’s Hit Did Not Please Evgeni Malkin (video)

By Catherine Silverman

Nov 14, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins forward Beau Bennett (19) carries the puck past Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Dion Phaneuf (3) at the Air Canada Centre. Pittsburgh defeated Toronto 2-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins forward Beau Bennett (19) carries the puck past Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Dion Phaneuf (3) at the Air Canada Centre. Pittsburgh defeated Toronto 2-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dion Phaneuf’s hit during the Leafs-Penguins game wasn’t necessarily met with a round of applause

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf has never been a player universally loved throughout the NHL.

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Therefore, when he made a pretty crushing hit on Patric Hornqvist during the Leafs’ matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins Friday night — his second big check of the night — it caused a pretty huge uproar.

Of course, no one made it clearer to Phaneuf that they didn’t approve than Evgeni Malkin. He charged Phaneuf immediately following the hit, attempting to fight him before the referees calmed everyone down.

Malkin received a double minor for roughing during the scrum, with Phaneuf taking a minor himself for his part in the fight. He wasn’t given any sort of penalty for the hit, though — which hasn’t exactly made fans very happy.

The melodrama.

The hit was massive, but ultimately ruled as clean by the referees; it’s worth noting that they also chose not to call the subsequent altercation between Phaneuf and Malkin a ‘fight’, which would have resulted in an automatic one-game suspension of Malkin for instigating within the last five minutes of the game. It still resulted in a 2-1 loss for the Leafs.

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