Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau was caught in a regrettable act this afternoon at the 2018 IIHF World Hockey Championships.
With the Americans down 2-0 to the Swedes in the first of two Semi-Final matchups, Gaudreau was captured by officials taking a baseball-like swing at Swedish defenceman and Anaheim Ducks blue-liner Hampus Lindholm. The referees sent him straight to the sin bin afterward.
It didn’t take long for the Swedes to capitalize on the ensuing power play, as Patric Hornqvist managed to find the back of the net less than a minute after. Sweden would go on to double their goal total at that point and punch their ticket to the tournament’s Championship game.
Gaudreau of all players should have thought twice before striking his opponent. The 24-year-old was sidelined for 10 games in November of 2016 after a slash broke his finger. The NHL has since insisted it will crack down on similar actions, but fans can agree that Gaudreau’s most recent act was completely inexcusable.
Martin Rose/Getty Images
Nothing seemed to go right for Gaudreau and his teammates today, but they’ll look to bounce back against Team Canada in the tournament’s Bronze Medal game. It is still unclear whether or not the forward will receive any further discipline.
(H/T r/Hockey)
