'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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.