Linesman C.J. Murray took a hard right breaking up a fight on Thursday.

Dallas Stars’ Jarad Rosburg dropped the gloves and went after Minnesota Wild forward Brandon Baddock, seeking retribution for a hard hit on Stars forward Roope Hintz.  Baddock leveled Hintz in the neutral zone as he looked back over his shoulder into the attacking zone.

 

 

Referees Furman South and Frederick L’Ecuyer immediately issued a major penalty on Baddock for interference. From Rule 56:

A minor penalty for interference shall be imposed … on any player who deliberately checks an opponent, including the goalkeeper, who is not in possession of the puck.

The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a major penalty, based on the degree of violence, to a player guilty of interfering with an opponent.

Rosburg wanted a stricter sentence.  He dropped the gloves and went after Baddock, catching Murray on the chin with an errant punch.

Despite the Stars’ tough guy initiating the scrap, he avoided an instigator call.  From Rule 46.11:

An instigator of an altercation shall be a player who by his actions or demeanor demonstrates any/some of the following criteria: distance traveled; gloves off first; first punch thrown; menacing attitude or posture; verbal instigation or threats; conduct in retaliation to a prior game (or season) incident; obvious retribution for a previous incident in the game or season.

There’s no allowance or exception based on the legality of the hit.

Nonetheless, Rosburg dodged the instigator call there, which would have seen him hit with a minor penalty for instigation and a game misconduct, in addition to the fighting major.

 

 

The Minnesota Wild won the game 5-2. Rosburg picked up an additional minor penalty for interference later in the game.

Referees for the game were Furman South (#13) and Frederick L’Ecuyer (#17); linesmen were C.J. Murray (#68) and Kilian McNamara (#93).