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Max Domi throws temper tantrum, ragdolls Connor Murphy over perceived cheap shot

It’s not often you get to see an NHL player see red and then uncontrollably lash out on someone, but last night was special.

In a game between the Blue Jackets and Blackhawks, Columbus forward Max Domi and Chicago defenseman Connor Murphy went behind the net to battle for a loose puck. That simple play resulted in a heated sequence of events that left Domi fuming and Murphy a crumpled bag of laundry on the ice.

It all started with a hooking call against Domi after Murphy cleanly beat him to the puck. But even after the Blackhawks defender was trying to keep possession and perhaps get his goalie off the ice for a 6-on-5 opportunity, Domi goes in again and crosschecks him hard enough to break his own stick, resulting in another penalty.

After taking the two minor penalties, the hard-headed forward proceeded to grab Murphy by his collar, putting him off balance and tossing him to the ice. But even then, Domi did not let up on the lifeless blueliner, jostling him around and throwing in a few uppercuts for good measure.

Max Domi was not pleased with Connor Murphy and let him know it. (Photo by Ben Jackson/NHLI via Getty Images)
Max Domi was not pleased with Connor Murphy and let him know it. (Photo by Ben Jackson/NHLI via Getty Images)

“Something else must have happened,” the broadcaster said, trying to figure out what in the world Domi was thinking in those seconds.

After the two were split up, Domi was slapped with a misconduct, giving him a total of 14 penalty minutes for the encounter.

“Usually when you hit somebody in the head you have to answer the bell, but a guy like that, I mean, hey, I can’t really comment on what I think of that response," Domi told reporters after the game.

“But you can’t really take a penalty like that, so that’s on me. With that being said, the first one I think he sold it a little bit, so I kind of went at him a little bit and he elbowed me in the head. If you’re going to do that you better answer the bell. I’m not really surprised he didn’t but I gotta find a way to pull back there. It’s not a good play by me, but it’s embarrassing from him, for sure.”

Weaving through acceptance and blaming Murphy for not wanting to fight, Domi sure knows how to please the old-time hockey types.

Luckily for Murphy, he won’t have to see Domi for the rest of the regular season, and with Columbus out of the playoff picture, that rematch will have to wait until the fall.

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