'Gutless': Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk reacts following biting incident
Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk has accused the L.A. Kings' Brendan Lemieux of biting him during a scuffle in Saturday night's game in Los Angeles.
Tkachuk and Lemieux got into a fight in the third period, at which point Tkachuk said Lemieux bit him on the hand. Lemieux was given a match penalty following the incident.
Speaking to the media following the game, Tkachuk could barely contain his contempt.
"I think it is the most gutless thing somebody could ever do," Tkachuk said. "This guy is just—you could ask any of his teammates, nobody wants to play with him—this guy is a bad guy, bad teammate. Guy's a joke. He shouldn't be in the league. The guy's gutless."
The incident began after Tkachuk shoved Blake Lizotte following a whistle with 6:09 left in the third period. Lemieux came in and he and Tkachuk began fighting, eventually falling to the ice with linesmen attempting to pull the two apart. That's when Tkachuk, showing a bleeding hand to officials, said Lemieux bit him.
"I can't really wrap my head around it. Children don't even do this. This guy's just a bad guy and not even a good player, either," Tkachuk told reporters. "It's outrageous."
Kings head coach Todd McLellan addressed the incident after the game.
"First of all, it's wrong, if it did happen. We don't want it to happen," he said. "And two, it’s not a good situation to put the team in, not only tonight but moving forward."
McLellan said Lemieux has become a valuable player and he needs to understand that.
"If we happen to lose him for any period of time, we'll miss him, and he has to understand how valuable he's become."
The NHL's Department of Player Safety said Lemieux has been offered an in-person hearing via Zoom. The date and time has yet to be announced.
The Kings defeated the Senators 4-2 to snap a five-game skid, while handing the Sens their fifth straight loss.
The Senators host the Vancouver Canucks Wednesday at the Canadian Tire Centre.
--With files from TSN 1200 and The Associated Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, is diagnosed with skin cancer
American gamer and Twitch superstar, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters
The federal government will create a new 'Canadian Renters' Bill of Rights,' which would require landlords to disclose their properties' rental price history to prospective tenants.