The Senators welcomed back goaltender Craig Anderson with a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.  Chicago center Andrew Shaw had a different sort of  greeting for Ottawa’  Zack Smith.

The gritty forward speared Smith in a very ungentlemanly place in the third period of Friday’s game.

“A spear is always looked upon as pretty bad for someone to do,” Smith said, reported by ESPN. “It’s kind of a cheap shot, especially where he was aiming, but you saw the replay.”

Shaw received a major for spearing and a game misconduct on the play.

“I gave him a little whack in the legs and he turned around and speared me,” Smith told Senators Extra. 

Smith would’ve liked a chance to drop the gloves and avenge the attach by Shaw.  “[Not being able to fight] was a little frustrating, too,” he said. “You get speared (in the nether regions) and you’re not allowed to fight to defend it. I wasn’t too happy with that.”

The question is how the NHL’s Department of Player Safety will look at the spear.

Will Brendan Shanahan come calling?

 

UPDATED:  Looks like there’s nothing further from the league: